Researchers selected China to study how light pollution may have changed during the COVID-19 outbreak. Prior to the outbreak, China: 
- had significantly high levels of light pollution. When measured using Nighttime Light (NTL) radiance, researchers found pollution was highest in commercial, transportation, and public facility areas. 

Kenyon College

Light pollution occurs when human activity results in an excessive amount of outdoor artificial light. This type of pollution can be damaging to the environment and human health just the same as other pollutants. 
- Unnecessary outdoor lighting contributes to high energy waste
- Light pollution disrupts nocturnal animals, prevents animals from navigating using the sun, disrupts the migratory habits of birds, and may contribute to the death of insects attracted to the light
- Light pollution may also disrupt an individual's circadian rhythm and cause damage to the eyes 

Light Pollution (Pre-COVID-19)

Liu, Q., Sha, D., Liu, W., Houser, P., Zhang L., Hou, R., Lan, H., Flynn, C., Lu, M., Hu, T., & Yang, C. (2020). Spatiotemporal Patterns of COVID-19 Impact on Human Activities and Environment in Mainland China Using Nighttime Light and Air Quality Data. Remote Sensing, 12(10), 1576. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12101576 

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