Ma Wants Fewer Fireworks

I've been neglecting the news for a few days while trying to get other things done. I picked up Thursday's China Post and immediately saw three environment stories. One is about the weakness of the Environmental Impact Assessment system for industrial and infrastructure projects; another reports on criticism of a TV ad that urges people to replace inefficient air-conditioning units. The third story does not contain any words like "environment" or "eco-friendly," which perhaps shows how unimaginative some reporters are, or how Ma's press people missed a chance to make the new president appear green.

Here's the article in its entirety:

President-elect Ma Ying-jeou has reportedly sharply cut the budget for setting off fireworks in celebration of his inauguration as new president of the Republic of China to NT$5 million from NT$20 million to promote the spirit of prudence. The NT$5 million budget is just one third of the NT$16 million spending on celebration fireworks in 2004, when President Chen Shui-bian assumed his second-term presidency.

Under the limited budget, the ad hoc panel responsible for inauguration affairs has decided to create grand audio and video effects by having an orchestra play the Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture.

The Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture is among the most energizing of compositions, with its cannons and bells commemorating the Russian defeat in 1812 of Napoleon interwoven with Russian folk tunes and, of course, the Marseillaise.

In fact, the panel said that when serving as Taipei mayor, Ma also instructed relevant units under the city government to reduce the budget for fireworks set off during celebration festivals.

I'm delighted to read of Ma's decision, not for the money that'll be saved, but rather for the sake of the air we breathe. Fireworks are fun but filthy. Even Taiwan's media has grasped this; reporting last year's record-breaking firecracker in Yanshuei, the TV news mentioned the results of air-quality tests, which were scary.