Latest news with #BillBateman
Observer
05-07-2025
- Science
- Observer
The effects of fireworks on animals and people
The rockets, explosions and cascading colours of fireworks are a staple of celebrations throughout the world, whether at the Fourth of July, Diwali or New Year's Eve. But while the clamour of light and sound brings out cheers from revelers, fireworks can cause panic in animals. They also leave behind trails of pollution that take a lingering toll on the environment and people. Here is what to know about the harm fireworks cause and recommendations from experts on how people can celebrate while reducing the impact. The intense, erratic sounds and lights from fireworks frighten animals, both wild and domesticated. Fear and stress responses have been documented in pets, zoo animals and wildlife. Wild animals may flee when fireworks start: Weather radars have recorded masses of birds taking flight and studies have shown fleeing by sea lions and seals. This rush to escape costs the animals energy and can lead to longer-term damage, said Bill Bateman, a professor of ecology at Curtin University in Australia and the author on a review of global research on the impact of fireworks on the environment. The animals may abandon habitats completely, or return with less energy for regular survival. These effects are worse when fireworks occur during migration and breeding seasons. Independence Day in the United States, for example, falls in the breeding season for many coastal birds. Shorebirds are particularly at risk because of their proximity to fireworks and beach crowds, said Nicole Michel, director of quantitative science at the National Audubon Society. Birds frightened by fireworks may abandon their nests, leaving chicks or eggs behind and exposed to threats like predators. And adult birds are already running at the end of their energy reserves by this time, Michel said. They may be eating less while sitting on nests or burning more energy as they feed themselves and their chicks. 'These poor birds are just run ragged,' she said. 'It's additional stress for a bird that's already very stressed'. Occasionally, fireworks kill large numbers of birds. In Beebe, Arkansas, in 2011 and 2012, thousands of blackbirds died after New Year's after being startled by fireworks. In 2022, fireworks in Taylor, Texas, caused nesting egrets to scatter, leading several to strike power transformers. 'Many of these birds, they're not nocturnal and they're flying low. They are surrounded by buildings and trees,' Bateman said. 'It's probably not a surprise that they end up piling into these things.' Fireworks cause short-term surges in air pollution and leave behind toxins in waterways and soil that harm people and wildlife over the long term. 'Bursting fireworks produce a thick particulate smoke that's laden with lots of nasty chemicals,' Bateman said. Studies have shown that air worsens in the hours after fireworks, containing particulate matter, metals and gases like sulfur dioxide. Levels are higher after celebrations where fireworks use is high over multiple days. Air pollution aggravates lung and heart disease and is linked to other health conditions. Chemicals linked to fireworks, including perchlorate, have also been detected in water bodies. Fireworks are also commonly made with and wrapped in plastic and leave behind debris that can be ingested by animals and break down into microplastics. One study found New Year's fireworks in London caused an immediate spike in microplastics. 'Firework displays are spectacular and culturally important,' Bateman said, 'and if there are options that are more environmentally friendly, then we really, really should embrace those'. With traditional fireworks, damage can by reduced by shortening the length of shows and number of fireworks used and moving them farther from people and animals. Community displays, staged high in the air, are better than firing fireworks individually, experts said. 'People just setting off fireworks all over the place are going to impact far more birds just because it is more spread out,' Michel said. 'There's also the risk of starting a fire, which would then destroy habitat'. Drone light shows are increasing in popularity. They are quieter and don't release the intense bursts of pollution associated with fireworks, though they still carry some smaller risks. Several cities and venues have swapped firework spectacles for drones in recent years, citing concerns over wildfires, pollution and wildlife. This week, the town of Hingham, Massachusetts, held its first Independence Day show using drones set to the music of a live band instead of fireworks. The town is home to a colony of nesting American oystercatchers that have settled on the islands in its harbour in recent years. In order to protect the birds, fireworks are not an option, said Marco Boer, chair of the Hingham Harbour Development Committee, which organised the event. Boer said he had worried that people might miss the 'big bang' of fireworks but that his community's response to Wednesday's drone show was 'overwhelmingly positive'.
New York Times
04-07-2025
- Science
- New York Times
Beyond the Light Show:The Effects of Fireworks on Animals and People
The rockets, explosions and cascading colors of fireworks are a staple of celebrations throughout the world, whether at the Fourth of July, Diwali or New Year's Eve. But while the clamor of light and sound brings out cheers from revelers, fireworks can cause panic in animals. They also leave behind trails of pollution that take a lingering toll on the environment and people. Here is what to know about the harm fireworks cause and recommendations from experts on how people can celebrate while reducing the impact. A Stress for Animals The intense, erratic sounds and lights from fireworks frighten animals, both wild and domesticated. Fear and stress responses have been documented in pets, zoo animals and wildlife. Wild animals may flee when fireworks start: Weather radars have recorded masses of birds taking flight, and studies have shown fleeing by sea lions and seals. This rush to escape costs the animals energy and can lead to longer-term damage, said Bill Bateman, a professor of ecology at Curtin University in Australia and the author on a review of global research on the impact of fireworks on the environment. The animals may abandon habitats completely, or return with less energy for regular survival. These effects are worse when fireworks occur during migration and breeding seasons. Independence Day in the United States, for example, falls in the breeding season for many coastal birds. Shorebirds are particularly at risk because of their proximity to fireworks and beach crowds, said Nicole Michel, director of quantitative science at the National Audubon Society. Birds frightened by fireworks may abandon their nests, leaving chicks or eggs behind and exposed to threats like predators. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Time Magazine
04-07-2025
- Health
- Time Magazine
Are July 4th Fireworks Bad For the Environment?
Fireworks are equal parts lovely and ugly—lovely because, well, they're fireworks, and who doesn't enjoy a good pyrotechnic sky show? The ugly part comes mostly after, in the haze of toxic gases and particles the blasts produce, along with the rain of paper, cardboard, and metal debris, and the lingering trauma to pets and wildlife, who take a lot less pleasure from the bangs and flashes than we do. According to estimates by the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA), the average July 4th in the U.S. will see about 14,000 public fireworks displays. In 2021, the last year for which the APA provides figures, Americans bought and launched more than 428 million lbs. of fireworks. That's an awful lot of ordnance—and it can produce an awful lot of problems. One of the biggest environmental dangers of fireworks displays is the dispersal of fine particles of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and more, measuring just 2.5 microns—or 2.5 millionths of a meter. These so-called PM2.5 particles can become deeply embedded in the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, contributing to decreased lung function, increased respiratory distress, aggravated asthma and COPD, irregular heartbeat, heart attacks, and premature death in people with preexisting heart or lung disease, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). One 2015 study in the journal Atmospheric Environment found that levels of PM2.5 particles rose 42% at 315 firework sites surveyed nationwide during July 4th celebrations. The increases peaked between the hours of 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. and didn't dissipate until noon on July 5. Spikes in some lung conditions may occur from a single fireworks show. "Fireworks massively reduce air quality with their explosions of particulate matter," says Bill Bateman, associate professor in the school of molecular and life sciences at Australia's Curtin University. "This can have a pretty immediate effect on our breathing and our health. In many places around the world there are reported peaks in respiratory problems after fireworks." 'What level of exposure you get depends on your activity levels—for instance, whether you're outdoors—and, if you're indoors, how leaky your house is,' said Jun Wu, a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of California, Irvine's program in public health, in a 2024 conversation with TIME. 'If you have to go outside, wearing a [N95] mask would be good.' Particles aren't all fireworks produce. According to a 2024 study in Applied Geochemistry, they also release, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide—which can cause lung damage—along with several metals, including aluminum, manganese, and cadmium. Some illegal fireworks may even contain lead, warns the American Lung Association (ALA). It is not generally possible to determine if fireworks contain lead since it won't be listed on the ingredients. The Consumer Products Safety Commission recommends buying only known, reputable brands. Airborne contaminants will ultimately settle out—but that can be a problem because they may wind up in water and soil and on plants. Perchlorates, a common ingredient in fireworks, flares, fertilizer, and solid rocket fuel, can pollute lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, endangering wildlife and entering the drinking water supply. In humans, perchlorates affect the function of the thyroid gland, which can alter metabolism. In infants and babies still in the womb, perchlorates may interfere with normal growth and central nervous system development. Soil, too, collects more than trace amounts of perchlorates, along with metals. By themselves, the perchlorates found in fireworks may not be enough to cause harm, but they add to the overall load of the chemical in the environment, which can ultimately be dangerous. Contamination that winds up in water and soil tends to linger there—perhaps longer than expected. From 1999 to 2009, fireworks displays were set off on Independence Days at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. From 2011 to 2015 researchers from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) returned and sampled water from 106 sites and soil from 11 sites in that vicinity. All of them showed perchlorate contamination and fireworks debris—especially on the northeast side of the park, where the pyrotechnics went off. 'The lack of alternative perchlorate sources in the area, such as a military site or agricultural land with applied fertilizers, and the presence of firework debris, suggest that past fireworks are the perchlorate source,' said one USGS scientist in a statement. Animals suffer too, both from the same pollutants that threaten humans and from the noise and light of fireworks displays. One 2023 paper in Pacific Conservation Biology reported that nearly 75% of companion animals studied—from horses to dogs to smaller mammals—showed fear responses to fireworks. Some horses broke paddock fences and sustained injury trying to escape the flashes and bangs. Fireworks displays can interfere with the breeding season of birds, with one study the 2023 paper cites showing that fireworks festivals in Valencia, Spain, in April and May of 2015 reduced the breeding success of house sparrows. When the pyrotechnics were canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sparrow populations bounced back. Independence Day celebrations in California similarly diminished populations of Brandt's Cormorants. "Disturbing roosting migratory birds at night can result in mass deaths," says Bateman. "Disturbing breeding birds can result in colony collapses. Seals and sea lions leave [affected] areas and expend energy swimming away during fireworks." And then there's the problem of litter. Every exploding firework rocket will eventually tumble and flutter down to the ground in a cloud of debris. "There are local peaks in microplastics and other plastic waste after fireworks," says Bateman. "Once in the environment they are there for good effectively." There are alternatives to fireworks. Both drones and laser shows can produce visual spectacles that have no environmental footprint apart from the energy used to operate them, and health and environmental groups are increasingly calling for towns, cities, and individuals to make the switch. The Fourth of July celebrates the founding of the nation. What better way to honor that nation than to keep it peaceful and clean?
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New Research Finds That Dogs Are Incredibly Horrible
Bad news for people who love good puppers: pet dogs seem, per an unsettling new study, to be astonishingly bad for the environment. In an interview with The Guardian, the lead author of a wide-ranging review of canine environmental effects suggested that pet dogs may be as harmful to their surroundings as their much-maligned brethren, housecats. "To a certain extent, we give a free pass to dogs because they are so important to us," Bill Bateman of Australia's Curtin University told the newspaper, "not just as working dogs but also as companions." Though there has been far less research about pet dogs as environmental threats compared to similar research about cats, the studies that do exist paint a pretty stark picture. As Bateman and his colleagues found when compiling their literature review, which was published in the journal Pacific Conservation Biology, dogs are not only one of the world's most ubiquitous predators, but also one of the deadliest. "As the commonest large carnivore in the world, the environmental impacts of owned dogs are extensive and multifarious," Curtin University's press release reads. "They are implicated in direct killing and disturbance of multiple species, particularly shore birds." Beyond problematic hunting behaviors, the mere scent of dogs changes the behavior of animals that come into contact with their essence long after the canines depart — and that's not even counting their fetid waste that many owners just leave smeared all over public spaces. "Studies have found that animals like deer, foxes, and bobcats in the US are less active or completely avoid areas where dogs are regularly walked, even in the absence of the dogs," Bateman said in Curtin's press release about the new research. "Dog waste also contributes to pollution in waterways and inhibits plant growth," he continued, "while wash-off from chemical treatments used to clean and guard dogs from parasites can add toxic compounds to aquatic environments." It sucks to discover that man's best friend is also a big-time polluter — but as Bateman told The Guardian, he and his colleagues didn't undertake their research to be "censorious." "Although we've pointed out these issues with dogs in natural environments," he said, "there is that other balancing side, which is that people will probably go out and really enjoy the environment around them — and perhaps feel more protective about it — because they're out there walking their dog in it." Training one's dogs not to hunt and using less toxic cleaning products, Bateman had a simple trick that can help dog owners feel better about their polluting pets. "If nothing else," he noted, "pick up your own dog shit." More on pet projects: We Talked to the Inventors of the "Tamagotchi" Vape That Dies If You Stop Puffing
The Guardian
09-04-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Pet dogs have ‘extensive and multifarious' impact on environment, new research finds
Dogs have 'extensive and multifarious' environmental impacts, disturbing wildlife, polluting waterways and contributing to carbon emissions, new research has found. An Australian review of existing studies has argued that 'the environmental impact of owned dogs is far greater, more insidious, and more concerning than is generally recognised'. While the environmental impact of cats is well known, the comparative effect of pet dogs has been poorly acknowledged, the researchers said. The review, published in the journal Pacific Conservation Biology, highlighted the impacts of the world's 'commonest large carnivore' in killing and disturbing native wildlife, particularly shore birds. In Australia, attacks by unrestrained dogs on little penguins in Tasmania may contribute to colony collapse, modelling suggests, while a study of animals taken to the Australia Zoo wildlife hospital found that mortality was highest after dog attacks, which was the second most common reason for admission after car strikes. In the US, studies have found that deer, foxes and bobcats were less active in or avoid wilderness areas where dogs were allowed, while other research shows that insecticides from flea and tick medications kill aquatic invertebrates when they wash off into waterways. Dog faeces can also leave scent traces and affect soil chemistry and plant growth. The carbon footprint of pets is also significant. A 2020 study found the dry pet food industry had an environmental footprint of around twice the land area of the UK, with greenhouse gas emissions – 56 to 151 Mt CO2 – equivalent to the 60th highest-emitting country. The review's lead author, Prof Bill Bateman of Curtin University, said the research did not intend to be 'censorious' but aimed to raise awareness of the environmental impacts of man's best friend, with whom humans' domestic relationship dates back several millennia. 'To a certain extent we give a free pass to dogs because they are so important to us … not just as working dogs but also as companions,' he said, pointing to the 'huge benefits' dogs had on their owners' mental and physical health. He also noted that dogs played vital roles in conservation work, such as in wildlife detection. 'Although we've pointed out these issues with dogs in natural environments … there is that other balancing side, which is that people will probably go out and really enjoy the environment around them – and perhaps feel more protective about it – because they're out there walking their dog in it.' Angelika von Sanden, a trauma therapist and the author of Sit Stay Grow: How Dogs Can Help You Worry Less and Walk into a Better Future, said she had observed that for many clients the companionship of a dog was often 'literally the only reason to survive, to get up, to still keep going'. 'It gives them a reason to get up, a reason to get out, a reason to move around and be in contact a little bit with the world outside,' she said. 'Dog owners can get a bad name if they are not aware of the surroundings they are in and of other people around them,' she noted. In the review, the researchers attributed the extent of the environmental impacts to the sheer number of dogs globally, as well as 'the lax or uninformed behaviour of dog owners'. A simple way to mitigate against the worst impacts was to keep dogs leashed in areas where restrictions apply and to maintain a buffer distance from nesting or roosting shorebirds, the paper suggested. 'A lot of what we're talking about can be ameliorated by owners' behaviour,' Bateman said, pointing out that low compliance with leash laws was a problem. 'Maybe, in some parts of the world, we actually need to consider some slightly more robust laws,' Bateman said, suggesting that dog exclusion zones may be more suitable in some areas. Bateman also raised sustainable dog food as an option to reduce a pet's environmental paw print, noting however that 'more sustainable dog food tends to cost more than the cheap dog food that we buy which has a higher carbon footprint'. 'If nothing else, pick up your own dog shit,' he said.
