I understand but at some point we have to draw a line.

One of the biggest culture changes I've noticed in my lifetime is how risk averse society has become in many areas. This usually presents with the obsession with hygiene that some people have in terms of food.

NYE is a totally inclusive cultural celebration where the entire species marks the passing of one year to the next. Something we've been doing since we invented time divisibility several thousand years ago.

To mark this occasion we let off fireworks. Now, does this produce some residue and dust? Of course. Is it worth it? Yes.

The climate change war is not going to be fought on the firework battleground. It needs societal level changes.

But I have no problem with what Julian engelsmebb is saying. He's a kid. He's young and edgy and cynical. That's what kids are supposed to be like. The job of the young is to challenge all of the cultural and societal norms that have been built including things like NYE. The job of the old is to protect them. This is how we as a species progress; the things that we really value stick around because they can withstand that scrutiny and the things that can't fall into unused. It's why the young are generally liberal and the old are generally conservative.

When I was young I also challenged the usefulness and the point of NYE. I also called it enforced fun and a stupid piss up and pointless on a universal scale. Then as I grew older I understood the point more and now I protect it from challenge of today's kids who don't see the point in it. If my generation does a good enough job in teaching the young the value of the tradition it will stay.