updated31. August 2022, 20:08
CO2 emissionsZüri-Fäscht could actually take place without fireworks and an air show
Should fireworks and air shows be banned at Züri-Fäscht? The Zurich municipal council decided on this on Wednesday evening.
The Greens, SP and AL want to ban fireworks and air shows at the Züri-Fäscht for environmental reasons. The bourgeois parties vehemently reject these demands.
Tamedia/Urs Jaudas
According to the environmental foundation Myclimate, however, the fireworks and the air show hardly make a difference in the CO2 balance of the Züri-Fäscht.
Tamedia/Urs Jaudas
Züri-Fäscht with or without fireworks and an air show? This was up for debate in the Zurich municipal council on Wednesday. Now it is clear: With 59 yes to 55 no votes, the municipal council decided against the air show. Furthermore, there should be no fireworks, but an environmentally friendly alternative. That was determined by a vote of 71 yes to 42 no. The postulate will now be handed over to the city council for consideration.
The Greens, SP and AL had requested that the fireworks at Züri-Fäscht be banned for environmental reasons. As the Greens councilor Balz Bürgisser said at the meeting, the fireworks not only harm the environment, but also humans and animals. Zurich is an innovative city and could do with a light show.
The organizing committee of the Züri-Fäscht regrets the decision, as it writes in a media release. “Fireworks and air shows are important parts of the Züri Fäscht,” according to the organizing committee.
The bourgeois parties vehemently rejected the demands of the left: Stefan Urech from the SVP replied that the fireworks were the trademark of the Züri-Fäscht and turned to the supporters of the ban: “If you cancel the fireworks, you bury it Züri-Fäscht as we know and love it.»
Fireworks and air shows make up just 0.4 percent
The Züri-Fäscht will take place again in 2023. Around two million visitors are expected. According to the environmental foundation Myclimate, however, the fireworks and the air show hardly make a difference in the CO2 balance of the Züri-Fäscht.
The CO2 balance in 2019 is said to have totaled 12,500 tons of CO2, which corresponds to the annual CO2 footprint of around 1000 Swiss people or 6250 flights from Zurich to New York and back in economy class. However, fireworks and air shows accounted for only 0.2 percent of total emissions.
At 42 percent, the highest emissions are said to have been generated by the arrival and departure of visitors. This is followed by the food sold at the Züri-Fäscht with 40 percent. The high meat consumption is primarily noticeable there.
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