Will fireworks become a thing of the past?

Whether on New Year's Eve or Independence Day, fireworks are beautiful to watch and an important tradition in many cultures. Yet, they can also be dangerous and bad for the environment.

While in the United States, fireworks are usually handled by the government or public organizations, in the United Kingdom people can buy their own fireworks for private use, Medium reports.

Countries where people buy fireworks to light in their streets or yards, tend to have strict rules for the age of the buyer and the types of fireworks to be used. This is mostly to regulate the safety of the person who lights them.

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In China, fireworks began thousands of years ago and are considered a tradition for the Spring Festival and the Lunar New Year.

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However, the country has imposed strict rules for their use since the 1980s. Netizens can buy fireworks in some cities but not in others. Beijing, for example, has been free from fireworks since 2022, Reuters reports. The most important reason for the prohibition is to improve the city's air quality.

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Despite regulations, fireworks constitute an important sector that, every year, moves hundreds of millions and employs thousands of people.

In Spain, for example, every patron saint's holiday worth its salt has opening or closing fireworks - or both.

The most significant case in Spain is that of the Fallas in the city of Valencia. There, fireworks are part of an important cultural event, a deep-rooted tradition, and an economic engine.

With time, however, more and more citizen groups and governments in different countries have begun calling for change. Will fireworks become something of the past, to be replaced by laser shows and drones?

Switzerland has been one of the latest countries to put the debate about fireworks on the table. The organization 'Feuerwerksinitiative' collected more than 100,000 signatures for a federal initiative that limits the use of fireworks in the country.

What the organization says, is similar to the criticism of other anti-fireworks groups in the world. "The joy of a few should not affect the quality of life of the rest."

The impact of the sound of some fireworks on many people and animals is undeniable, 'Feuerwerksinitiative' says.

"Firecrackers generate panic in small children, but also in domestic, farm, and wild animals, preventing them from sleeping normally," they say.

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Especially sensitive to fireworks are people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). They are said to be most affected by the impact of fireworks exploding.

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The most recognizable and viral example was that of Marcos Goldschmidt. The Argentinian father described in 2014 that his son Ezequiel suffered a nightmare every time he heard the sound of a firecracker or other fireworks.

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"He is autistic and is scared by explosions," Marcos Goldschmidt said. "For every flying arrow or firecracker that is thrown, I see him with a look of horror, covering his ears and searching, in vain, for a place to be quiet."

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Another argument against fireworks is the environmental risk that they entail. Especially in summer, uncontrolled fireworks can pose a very serious threat to the flora and fauna of the area where they are set off.

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And in areas with a dry climate, where the risk of fire is extreme, a small spark from a firecracker can start a fire that destroys thousands of acres.

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People who oppose fireworks suggest first of all that the loud ones are prohibited. Furthermore, they want the government to regulate the use of fireworks by giving out permits for the use of them.

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Fireworks that make less noise can greatly limit their impact. However, the problem of pollution - both in the smoke they release and the chemicals they contain - is not solved when we just exclude noisy fireworks.

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A silent and clean alternative, however, is a drone light show, in which a group of aerial vehicles with different colors of LED light fly in a concerted motion.

In the town of Enid, Oklahoma, for example, a show of 1,000 drones marked Christmas of 2023 above the USA's highest Christmas tree.

Image: Sky Elements Drones / Instagram