THE lights aren’t yet going out all over Europe, but Ireland could become a darker place if the government takes the advice of an environmental group that wants the country to follow Rome’s example and dim urban lighting.

Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) has launched a Dark Skies campaign after the Italian capital reduced its public lighting to save energy and make the night sky more visible.

“Until recent years, satellite images showed that Ireland was the darkest country in Europe,” said Albert White of the Irish Light Pollution Awareness Campaign. “Now it’s getting brighter and a lot of that can be attributed to street lighting.”

Although there are concerns about public safety, FIE believes that a balance can be struck between dimmed lighting and security on the streets.

“There are a number of things that could be done and it’s up to Dick Roche, the environment minister, to take the lead,” said Tony Lowes of FIE.

There is no European standard on lighting, but the garda’s crime prevention unit monitors levels in public places.

“We would constantly be pushing for good levels of lighting,” said Inspector Gerry Carroll. “Lighting in terms of anti-crime measures is up there in the top three — it’s not incidental. It also affects the fear of crime: a person is going to feel a lot safer on a well-lit street.”

Local authorities spend €15m per annum lighting non-national roads. The FIE says dimming urban lights would reduce these costs as well as reducing energy output.

“The minister would welcome any plan that might reduce emissions in order to help reach Ireland’s Kyoto targets,” said Sean Dunne of the Department of the Environment and Local Government. “But this isn’t just a matter for our department, we’d have to consult with the local authorities and other stakeholders.”

Some public bodies, including Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown county council, have introduced more street lighting that points to the ground instead of leaking light upwards.

“As technology is improving, the old orange street lights aren’t as viable any more,” said White. “New light fittings along Blackrock and Booterstown point downwards and are white, which seems brighter.”

The National Roads Authority (NRA), which spends €5m annually on electricity and energy-efficient light bulbs, has also introduced lighting that only points downwards on all its interchanges.

“We use very little lighting on our roads,” said Michael Egan, the NRA’s head of corporate affairs. “We concentrate lighting on heavily used roads and at interchanges. We are conscious of the lighting issue from an energy consumption and light pollution point of view.”

The cosmetic lighting of monuments, such as floodlit government buildings on Merrion Street, has also been targeted by the FIE as a waste of energy.

Rome has already changed the lighting on its monuments to a more diffused yellow glow, which is set to be dimmed further. The city will also be turning down its street lights and signs in shop windows and hotels, while shops will be encouraged to turn off internal lights at midnight.

Striking a balance between civic pride and energy conversation is the key, according to Andrew Hind, vice-president of the Irish Planning Institute.

“Lighting buildings and monuments is an important cultural factor,” he said. “I’ve wandered through Rome at night and seen the Forum all lit up and thought it was wonderful, but if they’re trying to strike a balance between showing the buildings and stopping light spilling into the countryside, then it is worth doing. We should watch how they get on, especially in terms of public safety and tourism.”

Times Recommends

• No apology for Germany’s own Nazi victims
• Intricate web of fear and hope tying down deal
• Victims remembered a year after Mumbai attacks