Beijing has announced that setting off fireworks and firecrackers will be banned if there is an orange or red alert on air pollution.

The controversy over fireworks and firecrackers during Spring Festival is not new. This year, many cities and provinces have issued stricter regulations on fireworks because of the serious air pollution across large parts of China last year.

Beijing has announced that setting off fireworks and firecrackers will be banned if there is an orange or red alert on air pollution. Shanghai has not only banned setting off fireworks within the outer ring road, but also requires people to register their real names and addresses when buying fireworks. And Shandong province in East China has reduced the number of shops retailing fireworks compared with last year.

The majority of the people know that the more fireworks are set off the more serious will be the air pollution, for they have been feeling the effects over the past years. To show how harmful effects of fireworks on the atmosphere, last year Shangguan Wenfeng, a professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University Combustion and Environment Technology Research Center, and his team conducted a controlled experiment. In the 30-cubic-meter experiment chamber, the PM 2.5 index soared to 1230μg/m3 after just three firecrackers were burst. Thus one can image how serious air pollution will be during Spring Festival when hundreds of millions fireworks are expected to be set off.

Having said that, one has to concede that setting off fireworks is a social issue rather than a scientific one. In the conflict between practicing customs and enjoying a healthy life, people tend to make choices according to their needs and knowledge.

In urban areas, however, public opposition to fireworks and firecrackers is stronger than ever because of the consequences of severe air pollution in the winter. For people, who have risen above the influence of traditions and customs, it is easy to give up the pleasure of setting off fireworks in exchange for some clean air during Spring Festival.