Fireworks have been a favourite way to celebrate big occasions for hundreds of years around the world. As people stare up to the night sky enjoying the spectacle, many might not consider the environmental impact of what they see.
First invented around 200 BC in China, fireworks have come a long way since. The colourful display we can see today, has only been invented in the 1830s. Before that, all you would see would be orange lights, according to the Smithsonian Science Education Centre.
Today, fireworks are still used to celebrate occasions like Independence Days, Bonfire Night, New Year, and other big state occasions, as well as private birthdays, weddings, etc.
But while many people enjoy the lights and bangs, wildlife and most pets don’t. So in this edition of Eco HomeLife Explains, we delve into the question why are fireworks bad for the environment. But first…
What Are Fireworks Anyway?
In very simple terms, a firework is a rocket filled with different chemicals and metals that is shot up in the sky. At a certain height, the chemicals and metals are ignited, and the resulting chemical reactions produce the colours and sounds, according to the Ontario Science Centre.
The different composition of the chemicals and metal salts, also called stars, will dictate what colours we see.
There are other types of fireworks as well, such as Roman Candles, Fountains, Smoke Bombs, Sparklers, and Areal Shells.
While they all work in a slightly different way, one thing they have in common is that they create the lights and noises by heating or igniting different metals and chemicals.
What goes up, has to come down. This means, any container used to house the stars, will fall back to the ground, even if you won’t see it. The chemicals and metals will stay in the air or if they are heavier, rain down on the ground.
In a nutshell, that’s what fireworks are.
5 Reasons Fireworks Are Bad For The Environment
The brief description of what fireworks are and how they work will already give you an idea of why fireworks are bad for our planet. But there are impacts that might not be obvious. Here are the main reasons they have such a negative environmental impact:
- Chemical pollution of air, land, and water
- Wildfires
- Plastic pollution
- Climate change
- Wildlife trauma
Let’s look at each of these in more detail.
1. Chemical Pollution
We have already said that fireworks are a mix of different metals and chemicals that are hurled into the night sky. These don’t then just disappear into thin air, instead they cause pollution in the air, on land, and in water.
Air Pollution
The ignition of the initial metals and chemical compounds causes chemical reactions that release new chemicals, such as sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, suspended particles, aluminium, manganese, potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulphur. (Sijimol and Mohan, 2014)
This air pollution causes the air quality to drop for about 24 hours after the firework display. (Singh et al., 2019) As these chemical particles have been shown to be toxic and cause adverse effects in mammals and humans. (Hickey et al., 2020)
Because these particles fly around in the air, they can be inhaled by wildlife and humans, making this air pollution harmful and toxic.
Soil Pollution
Some of these chemical particles, such as heavy metals, don’t stay in the air, but come down to the ground, causing soil pollution. Heavy metals bioaccumulate, and scientists have found them in soil bacteria, moss, fish, and mammals. (Bateman et al., 2023)
While heavy metals are important chemical compounds, they can also cause harm if getting into areas they shouldn’t be. Studies have shown that they can cause microbial biodiversity loss in soil (Abdu et al., 2016), which can degrade the quality of the soil.
A loss in biodiversity in the soil will impact on the plants that grow in the soil.
These heavy metals can also get into our waterways, which leads us to…
Water Pollution
Apart from the heavy metals, another inorganic ion released by fireworks often leaks into our waterways: Perchlorate.
These stable and water soluble chemicals leach into waterways, where they are absorbed by plants and get into insects, amphibians, fishes, and mammals. (Sijimol and Mohan, 2014)
This particular chemical is of special concern, because it’s very harmful and even toxic to some organisms. It has been shown to harm aquatic life as well as earthworms in soil. (Acevedo-Barrios et al, 2018)
It’s also detrimental to human health, especially the thyroid gland among other harmful effects. (Niziński et al., 2020)
2. Wildfires
This might not be an adverse effect of fireworks that many people are aware of, but they can cause wildfires.
According to one study, between 1980 and 2016, 11,294 wildfires were caused by fireworks in the USA around Independence Day. (Vachula et al., 2023)
This is an issue in summer, when warm and dry weather makes the environment more susceptible to fires. Hence why so many wildfires are caused by fireworks during Independence Day celebrations in the USA, which takes place on 4th July.
It’s not hard to imagine that fireworks cause wildfires, if you consider that we shot up tubes that we then explode. They might still be burning as they come down, setting grass, bushes, and other plants alight.
The impacts on wildlife include loss of life, alteration or loss of habitat, injuries, and food scarcity.
3. Plastic Pollution
Like almost everything today, fireworks contain plastic, as part of the containers that hold the metals and chemicals. When they come back down to earth, they will stay in the environment as litter.
A UK study has found the amount of microplastics in the Thames was considerably higher six hours after New Year’s Fireworks in Westminster in 2020. (Devereux et al., 2022)
This shows that there is a definite impact of fireworks when it comes to plastic pollution. Microplastics have a hugely negative impact on our environment.
While the extent to which these microplastics have a negative long-term effect on organisms isn’t yet clear, scientist have found them in many animal species, including mammals, fish, birds, and humans. (Baalkhuyur et al., 2018, Hernandez-Gonzales et al., 2018, Provencher et al., 2020)
And it’s not just microplastics either. Often, bigger pieces of plastic debris from fireworks are littered in our environment. I have seen it many times walking around in inner city areas after a big firework display.
Given that it can take hundreds if not thousands of years for some plastics to break down (Chamas et al., 2020), this plastic litter will stay in our environment for a long, long time.
And as they break down over centuries, the plastic pieces will release toxic chemicals and more microplastics. (Wojnowska-Baryla et al., 2022)
4. Climate Change
We have already mentioned earlier that some of the chemicals that are released during firework displays include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxides and nitrogen oxides.
All of these are classed as greenhouse gases, which means they actively contribute to global warming and therefore climate change. Every firework display propels more of these harmful chemicals into the air, just so that we have something nice to look at.
Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is probably the one that most people know about, as we are told we have to reduce our carbon footprint, which means the CO2 emission we are responsible for.
5. Wildlife Trauma
If you have a pet you probably know that animals don’t like fireworks. A friend of mine had a pregnant guinea pig. During fireworks in her area, the poor animal became so stressed that it aborted the babies.
I’m so glad we live in a rural area where we don’t hear the noise of fireworks because it means our cats don’t have to get stressed.
Numerous studies have shown that domestic animals show signs of distress. One study found that 46% of owners recognised signs of fear of fireworks and associated behaviours in their pets. (Dale et al., 2010)
And if you think these poor pets have it bad, consider wildlife, that doesn’t have caring owners that do their best to comfort them and reduce the impact of the noise.
Roosting birds routinely take flight when fireworks are let off close to where they are. This has several consequences for them, such as needing to expend extra energy, sleep disruption, disruption of resting periods or foraging, and disorientation. Indirectly, fireworks can also be fatal for birds. (Shamoun-Baranes et al., 2011)
These might only be short-term impacts, but long-term ones have also been observed. One study had found that house sparrows who live in towns where fireworks take place during the year, have a reduced breeding success. (Bernat-Ponce et al., 2021)
Most studies focussed on bird, but it’s not difficult to imagine the impact the noise and light from fireworks might have on mice, voles, foxes, hedgehogs, and many other of our beloved wild animals.
Fireworks Are Bad For The Environment – So Is It Time To Ban Them?
Hopefully, we have illustrated the many reasons why fireworks are bad for our planet. Whether it’s a reduction in air quality, pollution, wildfires, or global warming, no firework is so great that it can make these negative impacts disappear.
Are they nice? Maybe. But is this really the only way we can celebrate big occasions? I don’t think so.
Banning firworks isn’t popular, as a UK government study has shown, with 61% of respondends finding them enjoyable and 44% said they were an important part of British culture.
But surely we can come up with a different way to celebrate big and small occasions without causing so much harm to our environment, wildlife, our pets, and ourselves.
If we don’t go to fireworks displays, they won’t continue, so let’s boycott them. And if you come across a petition to ban them, sign it. Together we can make a difference.
If you are looking for eco-friendly solutions to celebrate special occasions, the RSPCA has some great ideas.
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