Environment

By Sarah Douglass ('23)

An annual tradition known to families around the world is celebrating the birth of a new year. Individuals celebrate the new year in a multitude of ways, whether that is counting down to midnight alongside their friends and family or watching the ball drop on TV, but one tradition known to the majority of the population is watching fireworks burst in their colorful glory across the sky. What most people don’t know about this exciting variable in our celebrations is that fireworks are extremely destructive to the health of the environment. 

Fireworks come in various colors that derive from the different chemical compounds used to create them. For example, a mixture of sodium and strontium makes orange fireworks, and strontium and copper create purple fireworks! When fireworks are set on fire, a chemical reaction takes place in which the chemical compounds react to create bright colors in the sky. However, the metals from these compounds remain intact, along with other gases released in the reaction such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen. 

The gases released into the atmosphere are among many others in the long list of greenhouse gases that contribute to the impending climate crisis. The metals such as the aforementioned sodium, strontium, and copper risk contaminating the air, water, and soil within the environment. Heavy metals making their way into these vital components of survival result in poisoning and killing plants and animals in the affected habitats. 

Along with the damage fireworks have on plants and animals, they can also wreak havoc on the health of people. Chemicals and gases released in the explosion of fireworks can cause a wide range of symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and vomiting, but even more concerning, they can cause a variety of long-term problems such as kidney disease, heart problems, and cancers. 

In addition to the variety of issues created by the metals and gases released from fireworks, they can also affect wildlife through littering and the startling sounds of the explosions. Many people leave the remains from fireworks outside after they are used and the remains end up in trees and oceans, risking the life of animals. Also, the amount of dead animals as a result of tachycardia increases significantly the night of New Year’s Eve, especially in birds from the loud sounds. 

Now that you know about all of the issues that fireworks cause in the environment, the next step is figuring out what you can do to prevent these problems from occurring again. The most impactful choice is to refrain from using both fireworks and sparklers during your celebrations and to create more eco-friendly traditions. Another option is to switch to eco-fireworks that release less amounts of greenhouse gases and heavy metals. However, these are still not environmentally friendly, they’re just less damaging to the environment. If you do choose to keep lighting fireworks, make sure to clean up after yourself and leave no trash behind.  I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

​