sustainability
Environmental aid calls for a ban on firecrackers on New Year’s Eve
Many people like to say goodbye to the old year with a loud bang. For the environment, however, the spectacle is anything but sensible. photo
© Sebastian Willnow/dpa
New Year’s Eve is almost upon us. Many love to greet the new year with colorful fireworks. But is the fun in relation to the massive damage to the environment and people?
The German Environmental Aid (DUH) has called on Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) to end the firecrackers “once and for all” this year. With a few simple changes to the explosives ordinance, the minister could quickly put an end to environmentally harmful fireworks, said DUH federal manager Jürgen Resch to the editorial network Germany (RND).
He is pleased that a growing majority of Germans are in favor of a ban on firecrackers. In a representative survey by the Insa Consulere Institute on behalf of the Brandenburg Consumer Advice Center, 53 percent of respondents voted in favor of a ban, while 39 percent were against.
“There are many arguments for a ban on black powder rockets and firecrackers: air pollution and thousands of tons of waste, millions of frightened and suffering animals, house fires and many thousands of injured children and adults,” said Resch. Cities and municipalities should also do without classic fireworks. “Municipalities can also ensure a colorful turn of the year with creative light and laser shows or even a drone show.”
According to information from the Federal Environment Ministry, the decision to ban firecrackers on New Year’s Eve lies with the cities and districts. “The annual fireworks on New Year’s Eve can temporarily increase particulate matter pollution in municipalities. How high this local pollution actually is depends on many factors,” a spokesman for the Federal Environment Ministry told the RND. These included, for example, the weather conditions on site and the number of fireworks burned off. “It makes sense for the cities and counties to decide for themselves whether a “Böllerban” needs to be imposed.”