The call for legislation to manage the import, sale, and use of fireworks has again been raised as the country enters the Christmas season — a time of increased buying and wanton use.
In 2023, the Attorney General announced that a Cabinet sub-committee had been established and was committed to balancing entertainment with safety and environmental concerns.
The Fireworks Action Committee of TT (FACTT) has demanded greater action and accountability, issuing a 15-day deadline on December 4 for a public explanation of the government's lack of action on public concerns.
It’s a matter that has eluded successive attorneys general and administrations. Each paid lip service to concerns about animal welfare and public safety, endangered for unnecessary and imported entertainment.
The effort to douse the national infatuation with fireworks has largely come from advocacy and activist groups. However, in August, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) referenced existing law to remind users that detonating the explosives without police permission incurs a $1,000 fine.
Without active enforcement, it was a hollow threat.
Fireworks explosions continued unabated throughout the Independence- and Republic-day holidays.
The EMA has advocated for a switch to noiseless fireworks but vendors claim such displays would be unappealing. They suggest that laws clarify the dates and times when fireworks displays would be allowed.
When fireworks vendors describe their product as better than living next to a noisy bar, they clearly don't understand the problem with their goods.
Limits on fireworks use would only be effective for formal, large-scale displays and won't manage the use of fireworks as small-scale nuisance entertainment.
Of additional concern is the use of fireworks, captured in social media videos, being used by gangs as weapons to bully and terrorise — an introduction to even more violent means of intimidation.
The noise pollution from fireworks is obvious. Extended, sustained fireworks also deliver air pollution.
Fireworks are low-yield explosives that use gunpowder. To produce colours and phosphorescence a range of chemicals and minerals are required, including strontium, magnesium, sulphur, aluminium, manganese and carbon, along with additional stabilising and oxidising chemicals. An exploding firework reduces these elements to particulates that float to mix with our air.
If Mr Armour remains unmoved by stories of dogs strangling on leashes during fireworks, he may wish to consider the harmful gases and particles the explosive displays shower on the innocent audiences watching them, mouths agape, and act on fireworks-control laws.
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