Today I got to know that there a plans to convert whole Malta next year. It is important not to repeat the same mistakes. Hence, I think it is important to support this petition.

Authorities must take a more holistic approach to public lighting policy and consider the environmental and health impacts of their chosen specification, and in particular the negative impact of blue-rich spectrum of many LED lights.

Many places are now setting an absolute maximum CCT of 3000K. In the case of Malta and Gozo and the additional concerns surrounding aesthetic qualities of the lighting, I would recommend that the authorities carry out a public consultation exercise with CCT options in the range 2200K-2700K.

Avoid looking at bright screens beginning two to three hours before bed.

If you work a night shift or use a lot of electronic devices at night, consider wearing blue-blocking glasses.

Expose yourself to lots of bright light during the day, which will boost your ability to sleep at night, as well as your mood and alertness during daylight.

We have gathered ample evidence on the negative impacts of blue-white or pure-white LEDs on human health, animal welfare, traffic safety, and astronomical visibility. Warmer (lower Kelvin value) yellow-white LEDs are a far better option, and cost just the same to install and run.

Let me briefly explain the physics of one reason why blue-white and pure-white LEDs have serious side effects. Rayleigh light scattering scales as the 4th power of the wavelength; and the peak wavelength of a light source scales directly with its Kelvin rating. Thus, halving the LED Kelvin rating, from 5000K to 2500K, would reduce scatter by a factor of 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 = 0.0625. Unwanted light scatter would be 16 times smaller!

The change to 2700K LEDs called for in this petition will produce a benefit which is almost as large as that - a 12 times reduction in unwanted, wasteful and debilitating light scatter. More of the light will be directed to where it is really needed.

A rush to get EU grants to change these fixtures with out even sampling the effect has destroyed the character of a charming place.

Good intentions, perhaps, but is has been at the expense of quality and comfort. The same energy efficiency could have been achieved with specifying warmer temperature lamps, fixtures with appropriate cutoffs, or lenses with appropriate filters.