No More Fireworks in Davos
The population of Davos votes in a referendum to ban New Year's Eve and National Day fireworks. Noise and fine particulate matter harm wildlife and the environment.
On 27 September 2020, the people of Davos decided in a referendum that New Year's Eve and 1 August fireworks would be banned in their village in the future. Public awareness of the ecological damage caused by fireworks and bangers is growing — because they are simply no longer appropriate for the times.
Particularly on New Year's Eve and the National Day, several thousand tonnes of fireworks are set off — creating not only dazzling displays in the sky, but also a great deal of noise at the expense of people and animals, unmistakable smoke and air pollutants, and mountains of litter left in nature.
Every fireworks display is followed by a rain or snowfall of fine particulate matter and chemicals that enter the soil and waterways, with partly unknown long-term consequences. Components of this dust include harmful substances such as nitrates, chlorates, lead and aluminium. Perhaps least well known is the long-term pollution of the environment with plastic, which is built into fireworks and, after being fired, ends up uncontrolled in nature. Plastic parts break down only very slowly in the environment, disfigure the landscape, and can be mistaken for food by livestock and wildlife.
The loud bangs from fireworks send many domestic and wild animals — with their highly developed senses — into fear and panic, and represent
a torment for many animals that people are not even aware of. For
animals, the noise can be life-threatening or even fatal. Wildlife loses valuable energy during the New Year's Eve fireworks — energy they need to survive the harsh winter. Livestock also suffer particularly on the National Day while out on pastures and alpine meadows. Fleeing in panic can lead to serious injuries. Loud bangs damage the sensitive hearing of both livestock and wildlife.
Most guests seek the experience of an intact and healthy environment in the mountains, relaxation and tranquility in an alpine landscape — not fireworks.
However, there are to be two exceptions: Small fireworks such as table fireworks, sparklers, Bengal fires, and volcanoes could be set off without a permit. Large fireworks would also be permitted, but only on the occasion of events of supra-regional significance, and would require a special permit costing between 1’000 and 3’000 francs.
As the first municipality in Switzerland, Davos is now enacting a legally binding ban on fireworks. The decisive factor in the clear popular vote was the welfare of animals.
