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J. Stock (CIDA, Merida, Venezuela)
Third world countries and those on the way toward development share the same problems as those facing industrialized countries. The public must be made aware of the unnecessary waste of energy, the exclusion of the beauty of the night sky, the interference with the natural day and night cycles of flora and fauna, and in the neighborhood of astronomical observatories the interference with some of the most exciting research activities of modern science. Authorities, in particular municipalities, have to replace the fixtures of public lighting by shielded fixtures, which do not emit light upwards. This results in substantial savings in money and energy. Third world countries face additional problems. These include; 1. The network of electrical energy in areas which never had that service before. Cerro Tololo in Chile and Llano del Hato in Venezuela are good examples. During the site surveys which led to the establishment of these observatories no lights were seen anywhere nearby. 2. The rapid and uncontrolled growth of the population leads to a rapidly expanding suburban development with its demand of new public lighting. This is enhanced by the fact that most of the young people of the rural population move to the cities. 3. In many cases outdoor light fixtures are imported and hence costly. In addition manufacturers prefer to unload their stock of obsolete fixtures in the third world. 4. Education has to start out at a lower level than is the case in industrialized countries. 5. Often one finds a certain resistance to rules imposed by the developed world which until not too long ago they did not have anyway. 6. Air pollution of the northern hemisphere, produced by industrialized countries, frequently spills over into the tropics, and thus enhances the backscatter from the sky.