"Liuyang, the fireworks capital of the world, creates a dazzling New Year's Eve fireworks show. **Liuyang Cultural Tourism.
Red Net Moment News reporter Li Lu correspondent Liu Wenxin reports.
The New Year is approaching, and the "ban" and "release" of fireworks and firecrackers - this commonplace topic has once again become the focus of attention. This year's Chinese New Year, can fireworks be released? The answer is yes, but there are restrictions on the time and area of the fireworks.
Why are fireworks "banned"?
The management of fireworks in China can be traced back to the eighties of the last century. In 1988, the Fifth Session of the Sixth National People's Congress proposed to strengthen the safety of fireworks production and discharge. In 2006, the "Regulations on the Safety Management of Fireworks and Firecrackers" was promulgated, which stipulates that local people at or above the county level can determine the time, place and type of fireworks and firecrackers that are restricted or prohibited according to the actual situation of the administrative region. Since then, many cities have begun to enact regulations related to the use of fireworks. Later, more and more cities joined the ranks of banning fireworks, and the control became stricter, with data showing that in 2018, fireworks and firecrackers were banned in 803 cities above the county level across the country.
The starting point of the "ban order" is good. Some of the problems caused by fireworks should not be underestimated.
The first is a safety hazard. In recent years, safety accidents such as injuries and deaths caused by fireworks and firecrackers abound, especially some children have no awareness of safety protection and often become the most direct victims of fireworks and firecrackers. Especially in relatively densely populated urban areas, high-altitude fireworks are very prone to danger and pose a huge threat to people's lives and property safety.
The second is air pollution. When fireworks are set off, the chemicals in the firecrackers will undergo a series of chemical reactions, releasing a large amount of PM10 and PM25. Carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, sulfur trioxide, nitrogen oxides and various metals, non-metallic oxides, etc., and produce a large number of soot particles, resulting in severe air pollution. pm2.5. Serious exceedances can reach dozens of times, causing serious pollution and causing respiratory diseases such as tracheitis.
The third is noise disturbance. According to the ecological environment department of Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and other big cities during the Spring Festival monitoring of fireworks and firecrackers, the noise in the area of fireworks and firecrackers is as high as 135 decibels, and more than 80 decibels belong to the noise category for normal people, when the ear is stimulated by more noise than it can bear, even if it is not felt, the fragile and sensitive ear nerve will be damaged, resulting in "detonation deafness". Exceeding 110 decibels can even cause permanent hearing damage. High-intensity noise not only damages hearing, but also damages a person's cardiovascular system.
Why do people love fireworks?
The sound of firecrackers is one year old, and the spring breeze sends warmth into Tusu. A classic poem expresses the special cultural significance of fireworks to the Chinese, fireworks carry people's beautiful memories, and even together with Spring Union, dumplings, and New Year paintings, they have formed a warm detail about the New Year in the hearts of ordinary people. The sky is the curtain, the fireworks are the painting, and a new year begins.
There is actually a scientific basis for human beings to love fireworks. Neuroscientists said that on the one hand, this comes from the fear of the brain, on the one hand, ** in the expectation of fireworks, when seeing fireworks, the brain's amygdala will be activated and release dopamine, a chemical that can make people happy.
There may also be more realistic reasons. Some people say that the pressure that everyone has accumulated for a year can be released through a physical object during the Chinese New Year; Some people also say that the first thing in the new year is to put "open the door and firecrackers", in the "crackling" firecrackers to remove the old and welcome the new, and harvest the "full house", which is the auspiciousness that the people pray for in their hearts.
Can Hunan Province set off fireworks this year?
Let's start with the conclusion: yes. But the premise must be standardized.
In the process of implementing the "ban on fireworks" in various places, it is often accompanied by the call for "lifting the ban on fireworks". In December 2023, the Legislative Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress announced a typical case involving fireworks and firecrackers in the filing review report: some local regulations stipulate that the sale and discharge of fireworks and firecrackers are completely prohibited, and some citizens and enterprises have put forward review suggestions for the comprehensive prohibition provisions. After examination, the Legislative Affairs Commission held that there are differences in understanding of the issue of a comprehensive ban on sales and burning, and it is also difficult to implement in practice, and it should be revised in accordance with the spirit of the provisions of the higher-level law.
However, "revision" does not mean "full liberalization", and "local 'comprehensive ban on burning' is inconsistent with the higher-level law" does not mean that all "ban on burning" is problematic. On the contrary, in the provisions of the superior law, it is clearly stipulated that the local government has the right to restrict or prohibit the time and place of fireworks and firecrackers in the jurisdictional area.
Taking into account the actual situation of environmental carrying capacity, personnel safety, fire safety, etc., the scope of the prohibition of fireworks and firecrackers in the main urban areas issued by cities and states in the province is explained in detail. This means that outside the demarcated range, it is permissible to set off fireworks in a regulated and orderly manner.
So, "Can fireworks be set off?" The answer to this question depends on us - if we set off reasonably outside the limit, we can achieve "freedom of fireworks". Of course, you still have to remember to buy fireworks and firecrackers through regular channels, or replace them with new products such as sound, light, and electricity, and pay attention to safety when setting them off.
Finally, I would like to quote a retired environmental activist's circle of friends to express our thoughts: "You don't need fireworks to say goodbye to the old year, and you only need to wait for the spring flowers to bloom to welcome the new year." "In the final analysis, our goal is to let the people live a better life, and we hope that through our efforts, one day, everyone can feel the happiness brought by a good ecological environment without having to look up at the fireworks.