France is banning outside heating and air conditioning after this winter. The goal of this move is to avoid wasting a significant amount of energy. It makes much more sense to simply eat indoors if the outside temperature is not to the customer’s liking.
Because of reducing the amount of energy used, it will also lower emissions. This is just one of the many things France is planning to tackle climate change as it prepares to reopen after COVID-19.
This has a huge potential since it is estimated that 75% of restaurant terraces are heated in just Paris.
Strong Opposition
Heated terraces are extremely popular in Paris and other parts of the country.
The primary reason this occurred is due to the smoking bans in restaurants. As a result, smokers would be forced to dine outside. And to accommodate an unfortunately large percentage of their customers, outside heating became popular in France.
It also became more accepted to run air conditions on high settings and leave the door open so the cool air would reach outside customers.
However, this is clearly an enormous waste of energy. Yet, restaurants hit hardest by COVID-19 are very against this move. Even the Mayor of Paris is openly saying “no” to this proposition. This ban is coming under heavy opposition.
The Citizens Convention
You may be wondering where this idea came from, and it is thanks to the Citizens Convention.
This is a committee that focuses on creating green legislation and proposals, and it comprises 150 self-selected citizens from a random selection. This group has also led to the creation of two national parks and a national nature reserve.
There are also many more propositions on the way to help France become more climate-friendly. This will be a large part of the country’s recovery plan.
