Unfortunately, not in Malta. The island has long lost its magical, natural, night-time lighting, replaced aggressively, stupidly and irresponsibly by an insatiable desire for artificial lighting, essentially trapping the whole island under a pinkish dome of light pollution.

It is quite ironic that in an age when everyone is ready to pay higher prices for “bio” products, essentially paying more for what is, in the end, the most natural products of nature, few are the ones ready to safeguard our “bio” lighting.

Malta has lost that magical skylight, that deep dark sky lit by thousands of stars.

Standard of living is not only about restaurants, bars and 100% Angus beef burgers.

The ability to witness the spectacle of a starry night is a wonderful gift of nature and should be a fundamental human right.

People who are willing to spend ghastly amounts of time and money in overcrowded spaces to get a glimpse of some (usually artistically mediocre) laser show, and are then willing to so easily forego the impressive and free daily twinkling show of incandescent bodies, do not strike me as very wise.

The sad reality is, however, that for some strange reason, people on the island seldom link noise and light pollution to their standard of living.

Whether through ignorance or lack of contemplation, most fail to see how progress in some areas may lead to disproportionate losses in others.

Certainly, we need modern day entertainment, but not when it completely destroys our natural way of living. Silent havens engulfed in darkness (or at the very least lit by warm and unobstructive light) are qualities inextricably linked to the Maltese landscape – one of our top tourist destinations boasts the name of Silent City after all – and harken back to our past as a barren rock.

We have come a long way from that to creating a bustling island, and this should be proudly acknowledged, but it is easy to overdo things, and progress is one of those things that it is easiest to overdo.

Ensuring a healthy contrast exists between things man-made and those naturally occurring would both remind us of our achievements and of our natural way of living.

For some strange reason, people on the island seldom link noise and light pollution to their standard of living

Thankfully, we still have a couple of places on the island where one can, to a certain extent, enjoy this wondrous spectacle of light. Sadly, it seems that these places are constantly under threat.

The latest menace has resurfaced after two years, when a proposal for embellishment works at Dwejra had been submitted, not long after the tragedy that had hit the place.

The ability to witness the spectacle of a starry night is a wonderful gift of nature and should be a fundamental human right.

Back then, I had written an article where I expressed my optimism that Dwejra’s dark sky heritage area status would be respected. The ruling by the Planning Authority had proven me right.

That optimism has now been shattered by the overturning of the refusal and has somewhat been restored by the support shown to local NGOs fighting for the preservation of the place.

It is ironic that man constantly seeks to emulate nature while at the same time he seems hell-bent on destroying it. Nature has been the inspiration for mankind’s most beautiful creations, and this goes beyond traditional art and Dutch painters.

The Rolls Royce Phantom, one of the most expensive cars in the world, has a “starry ceiling”.

These cars are fitted with what is called the “Starlight Headliner”: a starlit roof effect achieved by painstakingly setting hundreds of fiber optic strands in perforated leather.

I bet those people who could not give a hoot about our lovely and natural starlit sky would be awed by such a technological feat and would certainly not mind having such an option in their car. It’s made by artificial lighting, after all, so it must be great.

That dome I spoke of earlier really and truly exists: I still remember seeing it from afar one night, as I joined other enthusiasts on a nighttime boat trip to witness the beauty of a sky untouched by artificial light.

The myriad of stars hiding over our heads are truly a sight to behold. Young people may be forgiven for mistakenly believing that the stars are those couple of faint dots one spots when looking up at the blueish night sky. They could not be more wrong however: in dark conditions, that same dull sky turns vividly alive by more than a thousand dots of light, covering the sky above in a carpet of light, a dome of wondrous beauty cut through by a streak of intense light called the Milky Way.

It is a shame that we think we have progressed so far because we can now buy the chocolate bar at the local grocer, while we have lost the free and unparalleled beauty on offer every moonless night. And now we are wisely ensuring that one of the few remaining spots of pristine natural beauty where such spectacle can be had also suffers the same fate.

Witnessing the natural spectacle of starry nights is a magical experience, especially in the unspoilt surroundings of Dwejra, and any addition of lights would dim the beauty of the place: the more light you introduce, the less stars you can see. It is as simple as that.

Switching on a few lights for the benefit of one establishment and switching all the sky off to the detriment of the whole of society: there’s something very selfish in that. A spent candle of hope that cements the fate of the island.

Perhaps I was wrong in my statement at the beginning of this piece: darkness will certainly fall on Malta the moment the light is switched on at Dwejra.