The civil liability for the damage caused by light pollution applying to astronomical observatories Helwan and El-Kattamya

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 Post graduate student at Faculty of Graduate Studies and Environmental Research-Ain Shams University

2 Department of Astronomy-National Researches Institute for Astronomy and Geophysics

3 Laser and Direct Energy Center-Military Technical Collage / Faculty of Engineering-Misr University for Science and Technology

4 Department of Civil Law-Faculty of Law-Ain Shams University.

Abstract

The research aimed to verify the adequacy of contemporary environmental legislation to establish the pillars of civil liability for light pollution damage. To achieve this goal, the phenomenon of light pollution and its unique characteristics were defined. The effects arising from night lighting or the sky glow associated with urban expansion, the damage it caused to human health, to its environmental surroundings, to various fields of life, and to astronomical observations in particular, were reviewed. The proposed solutions to address this phenomenon, both legally and technically, were also discussed. The value and importance of astronomical observatories and the laws that protect them and their environmental surroundings from light pollution were also highlighted at the global national level. The history and importance of the "Helwan" and "Katameya" observatories at the local level were investigated, and the damages incurred by them as a result of urban sprawl in their vicinity. The researchers concluded that the current legal legislation is insufficient to protect the Egyptian astronomical observatories, or to establish the necessary civil liability to compensate for damages caused by light pollution or redress its effects. A legal framework has been proposed to reduce the effects of this phenomenon on the natural environment and on the Egyptian astronomical observatories and on the capabilities and wealth of the country and the inherent right to see the night sky.
 
 

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Journal of Environmental Science
Volume 52, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
Part.3 : Economics, Law and Management
April 2023
Pages 1-22

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