This week the 9th International Artificial Light at Night Conference (ALAN 2025) is being held from 28-31 October 2025 for the first time in Westport, Mayo, Ireland. Bringing together leading researchers and practitioners to explore the multifaceted impacts of artificial light on ecosystems, human health and urban design.
On Thursday 30 October, Yana Yakushina (Ghent University), scientific coordinator of PLAN-B, was one of the invited guest speakers during the morning plenary session. Her talk titled Protecting the Night: Towards Coherent Legal Frameworks for Light Pollution Mitigation, highlighted the growing global concern over light pollution and its wide-ranging impacts. While several countries have begun implementing regulations to address the issue, she emphasised the need for a more harmonised and coherent approach to governance, advocating for better coordination between local, national and international actors.