Fireworks provide a few minutes of joy, but the economic and environmental costs last much longer

By Narmin Nahidi, Assistant Professor in Finance, University of Exeter

Every Bonfire Night, people pay for a box of fireworks so their friends and family can enjoy the colourful display. Within a few minutes, it’s all over. But the price on the box doesn’t reflect the hidden costs. The smoke inhaled by neighbours, the animals disturbed or the public services called out when things go wrong.

It’s not a question about whether fireworks celebrations are enjoyable, but whether the people enjoying them are aware of – or actually paying for – their full cost. Economists call this…

Read complete article

~	Mining, water and trust: how Namibia’s geoscientists see their role with communities

~	AI and blockchain are coming to African farms: 4 things must happen for farmers to benefit

~	US midterms: why a Democrat Congress could mean less political gridlock, not more

~	Why Trump, Xi, and Putin can’t carve up the world like the ‘big three’ leaders of 1945

~	International surrogacy and the narrow legal idea of what makes a family legitimate

~	The Democrats’ ‘blue tsunami’ is a strong repudiation of Donald Trump. Now, they will look to replicate it in 2028

~	Speaking in a second language may shift your moral compass – but it can’t overpower it

~	Why are Australians so interested in the US midterms?

~	Why an Ebola outbreak in Africa doesn’t mean an epidemic in Britain

~	Why so many British pubs are closing down