Words by Abi Scaife
The city of London has proposed that skyscrapers may have to dim their lights going forward.
Wow, really? But why?
The suggestion comes as part of an approach to tackling light pollution, as well as in a bid to save energy.
The initiative would only apply to a small part of the capital - the Square Mile, which is a 1.12 square mile (duh!) zone in the centre. The Square Mile goes from the Temple to the Tower of London and from Chancery Lane to Liverpool Street.
Is it a constant change?
Not really - though hopefully, the application will be ongoing, it only works under certain conditions.
There would be three types of ‘brightness zones’, each with its own curfew; 10pm for residential and heritage areas, 11pm for cultural and tourist areas and midnight for commercial, retail and transport hubs.
During the dark hours, any lights that aren’t necessary (for example, for things like safety and security) will need to be switched off.
The City of London hopes that, not only will this make London much more visually appealing, it will help the Square Mile reach its goal of becoming net zero by 2040.
