In this episode, we welcome back Yana Yakushina, a legal expert and researcher tackling light pollution from a policy and environmental law perspective. We dive into the latest regulatory frameworks, legal victories, and the fight to recognize artificial light at night as a serious environmental issue like Germany has. Mark Baker shares real-world legal battles, including lawsuits against excessive blue LED lights and landmark cases pushing for stricter light trespass regulations. Yana unpacks international laws, EU policies, and groundbreaking studies linking light pollution to biodiversity and public health risks.

🔦 What you'll learn:

- How legal systems are evolving to combat light pollution

- The latest breakthroughs in environmental and space law

- Real-life lawsuits shaping the future of lighting regulations

- The science behind artificial light’s impact on ecosystems

Join us as we explore the intersection of law, science, and activism in the fight to preserve the night!

Yana is a lawyer, researcher, and dark sky protection educator currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Ghent under the Horizon EU PLAN-B project, where she also serves as one of the scientific coordinators. Yana specializes in light pollution regulations and space law, leading and contributing to international projects on the development of the protection of the nocturnal environment, and collaborating with various organizations, including the Space Court Foundation Inc., the EU Commission, DarkSky International, Starlight Foundation, the International Astronomical Union, and UNOOSA. In 2023, she co-founded the Belgian dark sky organization Living Night (DarkSky Chapter).

Want to know more about the protection of the night from a regulatory perspective? Read my recent article, which classified various approaches to light pollution mitigation.

#LightPollution #DarkSky #EnvironmentalLaw #RestoringDarkness

Connect with Yana:

https://youtu.be/H3yA8n_jkVE

https://www.spacecourtfoundation.org/

https://eng.levendenacht.be/

https://darksky.org/get-involved/the-european-light-pollution-manifesto/