What Goes Up Must Come Down

Have you made your wish? Annually, hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to the quaint town of Pingxi, Taiwan to release sky lanterns that float serenely into the night sky. These drifting constellations create a dream-like, moving scene that has made the little town located at the northeast of Taiwan an icon of Taiwanese culture. 

Just look at the picture of the releases below, don’t they look inviting? They sure do to me!

These sky lanterns have been an inseparable part of local traditions for centuries, with historical records showing that they were initially used during the Three Kingdoms period to send military signals (Liu, 2018). However, in the present day, they have been commercialised as a means of carrying the well wishes and hopes of the person(s) who have launched it. I guess you can say that a new tradition has been written for tourism. Moreover, it has been widely promoted by the Tourism Bureau and the New Taipei City Government Tourism Planning Division as a must-do activity. This is reflected along the numerous sky lantern retails that lined the Shifen Old Street in Pingxi.

Due to its reputation as an emblem of Chinese culture, alongside its relatively inexpensive price starting at NT$100 (S$4.64) (Tham, 2019), the sky lantern has become a potent tourist attraction for tourists visiting Pingxi. Just between 2010 and 2016, Pingxi has attracted more than 6.41 million tourists, many of whom have visited the town to set off sky lanterns of their own (Teng, 2018). Moreover, it has been estimated that the town releases 300 000 to 400 000 sky lanterns each year (Teng, 2018)!

Oh my… can you imagine the number of lanterns that have been released till now? To be honest, I have always wondered: where do these lanterns land and what happens to them afterwards? Hmm…

Ecological and Environmental Impacts

Welp, you might have guessed that the sky lanterns are considered to be a menace to the environment due to the pollutive nature of the activity and materials used in their construction. And you’re right.

The lanterns are mainly composed of wooden and metal-wired skeletons, forming the frame for its paper body, and are propelled off the ground through a small fire that is ignited at the bottom. Although certain parts of the lantern are made of biodegradable paper and bamboo, these materials are often treated with chemicals and lined with a thin layer of plastic, making them less likely to disintegrate out in the wild (Tham, 2018) – as seen in the picture below.

Additionally, changes in wind direction and speed could take them beyond the 2 kilometre activity radius – the estimated travel distance for a sky lantern given Pingxi’s average wind speeds of 4 metres per second (White, n.d.). The presence of a well-vegetated, undisturbed, mountainous terrain that surrounds the town results in the accumulation of dyed plastics and aluminium wires, as it presents an insurmountable barrier for their retrieval (Taiwan Scene, 2018). As such, these wires and strings have been known to strangle and maim wild animals, and are at times unknowingly ingested, damaging their throats and stomachs, leading to immense pain and their eventual deaths (Case, 2017).

Impacts of aluminium

The littering of aluminium wires could potentially have severe repercussions, especially under acidic conditions, whereby the Aluminium cation (Al3+) is formed (Rosseland et al, 1990). 

Research conducted by Rosseland et al. (1990) revealed numerous toxicological implications that Al3+has on wildlife:

Additionally, a study conducted by Igbokwe et al (2019) revealed that prolonged exposure and ingestion of Al3+ could lead to devastating changes on the endocrine secretions in animals. The endocrine system consists of glands that secrete hormones in response to environmental stimuli and to orchestrate developmental and reproductive changes. As an endocrine disruptor, otherwise known as hormonally active agents, Al3+thus has the potential to cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental issues, as seen in the table below (Igbokwe et al, 2019).

Are There Alternatives?

Fret not! There are relatively greener methods to enjoy setting off sky lanterns of your own. For one, Taiwan’s first eco-friendly sky lantern was first introduced in 2019. As it is made entirely out of paper, it has been touted to completely burn up in the air without leaving any waste. Moreover, tourists can opt for an electronic sky lantern that is available at the Sky Lantern Police Station in Pingxi. Tourists can purchase a virtual sky lantern for NT$150 (S$6.98) and watch it soar up on a 9 metre high sky lantern shaped glass curtain composed of 200 000 LED lights.

Then again, the energy involved in lighting up all the LED lights and the potential leaching of heavy metals – copper, iron, and lead – during their eventual disposal could result in environmental implications (Lim et al, 2011). 

Till Next Time!

As we have observed, cultural traditions are increasingly challenged by values of sustainability. However, instead of uprooting them, perhaps we should look for sustainable ways in which such practices can be continued! Although the greener initiatives have pollutive aspects of their own, the implications are reduced when compared to the traditional sky lanterns. Moreover, these initiatives could pave the way for future innovations that are able to coexist with the environment. With technology, the sky’s the limit!

These are just our two cents but we’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue so do leave a comment below!

See you next time when we explore the environmental impacts of COVID-19 and tourism 😀

 

References:

Case, P. (2017). RSPCA reminds public of dangers of sky lanterns. Farmers Weekly. 168(11). Available from: https://search-proquest-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/docview/1973008220?pq-origsite=summon [Accessed 19 August 2020]

Igbokwe, I. O., Igwenagu, E., & Igbokwe, N. A. (2019). Aluminium toxicosis: a review of toxic actions and effects. Interdisciplinary Toxicology. 12(2), 45-70. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7071840/ [Accessed 19 August 2020]

Rosseland, B. O., Eldhuset, T. D., & Staurnes, M. (1990). Environmental effects of aluminium. Environmental Geochemistry and Health. 12(1), 17-27. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258348898_Environmental_effects_of_aluminium [Accessed 19 August 2020]

Taiwan Scene. (2018). Retrieving Sky Lanterns in Pingxi. Available from: https://taiwan-scene.com/retrieving-sky-lanterns-pingxi/ [Accessed 19 August 2020]

Taiwan Scene. (2018). The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival: color, culture and controversy. Available from: https://taiwan-scene.com/the-pingxi-sky-lantern-festival-color-culture-and-controversy/?utm_source=TaiwanScene&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=Retrieving_Sky_Lanterns_in_Pingxi&utm_term=Sky_Lanterns [Accessed 19 August 2020]

White, E. (n.d.). How wide does the Sky Lantern clean-up need to be? Available from: https://international.thenewslens.com/article/61645 [Accessed 19 August 2020]

 

Images:

Igbokwe, I. O., Igwenagu, E., & Igbokwe, N. A. (2019). Aluminium toxicosis: a review of toxic actions and effects. Interdisciplinary Toxicology. 12(2), 45-70. Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7071840/ [Accessed 19 August 2020]

New Taipei City Travel. (n.d.). Sky Lantern Police Station. Available from https://tour.ntpc.gov.tw/en-us/ [Accessed 19 August 2020]

Taiwan Scene. (2019). 8 questions with the creators of Taiwan’s first-ever eco-friendly sky lantern. Available from https://taiwan-scene.com/8-questions-with-the-creators-of-taiwans-first-ever-eco-friendly-sky-lantern/ [Accessed 19 August 2020]