Swiss welcomed the New Year with environmentally-friendly fireworks

Several cities in Switzerland held more environmentally-friendly fireworks displays – or none at all – to see in the New Year.

In Basel, the number of fireworks were reduced by a third in order to reduce fine particle pollution, the move was calculated to “send a signal in terms of environmental impact”, the Canton of Basel City said.

Overall, the spectacle ran for 16 minutes instead of 21.

The fireworks were estimated to account for 2-3% of yearly fine particle pollution. But officials didn’t want to cancel the event altogether, because it was highly popular.

In Zurich, the New Year’s fireworks were billed as being “completely climate-neutral for the first time ever,” according to the organisers.  The myclimate foundation calculated and compensated the CO2 emissions, with the benefit going to the Virunga mountain gorilla project in Rwanda, they said.

Some cities had no fireworks at all, such as in the capital, Bern. Three bells in the Munster tower rang in the New Year from a quarter to midnight.

In St Gallen fireworks were banned to protect the UNESCO World Heritage Abbey site.

Read more via Swissinfo