The scene repeats itself in almost every bar and restaurant from the large French cities like Paris, but also in smaller towns: no rain, snow or the temperature falls sharply, the terraces of the local are to burst even though the interior has plenty of space. Especially since I entered in 2006 into force the prohibition of smoking in public places, the terraces have become a big business. Essential for this are however powerful stoves to gas or electricity you put heat, if only a little, the icy environment. And that is, to the French city of Rennes, in the northwest of the country, the problem. Because with its high energy consumption, are far from being ecological. And with the planet at risk with the warming climate, there is that act. That's why, starting this January 1, the capital of Britain will prohibit the heating of bars and terraces. A measure that could emulate other cities, but that they are aware of the business sector, who fear heavy losses.

“With the ecological challenge that we face, we have to be exemplary in the public space,” said the deputy mayor of Rennes, Marc Hervé, to the agency France Presse.

nearly a decade Ago, when a parisian district were raised as to the prohibition of gas heaters —as finally reversed by the justice—, the consultancy specialized in ecological transition Carbone 4 has calculated that a sun terrace equipped with four braziers that worked eight hours a day, emitting as much CO2 as a drive of 350 kilometres. Finally, in Paris an agreement was reached to increase the rates for the use of terraces.

In the year however in that a good part of the big news have been related to climate change and characters as Greta Thunberg have acquired global significance, the debate has become, and the arguments against this practice are multiplied.

“No one puts the heating on the outside of your home, why do it in the public space?”, underlines Hervé. With this measure, approved last June, Rennes will become the first French town of more than 200,000 inhabitants in the adoption of this measure, which affects about 500 establishments. The decision is accepted with philosophy or resignation by many of the customers, while among the restorers opinion is more divided.

“we Sell beer bio, so that you have terraces with heating is not very compatible with all the efforts that you ought to do to respect the environment. People are going to get used to”, said a waiter of Rennes, the regional station France 3. Other restaurateurs, however, fear the loss after you have made investments to refurbish its outdoor terraces —beyond the heaters, it is required that these are protected by panes of glass or plastic and awnings— and increased staff to handle the extra space. “We pay a right-of-terrace. They should let us do what we want,” he told the daily 20 Minutes one of the restaurateurs opposed to the measure.

however, this account with the approval of the local union of restoration, Umih 35. “This is going to change some habits, but it's not going to cause a drop in the volume of business. In addition, professionals will be able to save on the price of electricity. We can not put a device with 2000 watts to heat the street,” said the newspaper by its president, François Penalty. “It reminds Me of the smoking ban, who would repeal it today?”

After Rennes and other big cities of France are studying the measure: Grenoble, Bordeaux and Angers could be the following.

In Paris, the environmentalists presented a proposal on 12 December to prohibit the terraces acclimated, a measure which, however, in the capital re met with reluctance. “60% of the cafés of paris have terraces acclimated. These terraces provide nearly 30% of the volume of business. If we ban, there will be consequences on jobs”, warned in Le Parisien the representative of the national union of the sector Synhorcat, Marcel Benezet. The proposal also has the approval of the conservative sector of the capital, according to the newspaper parisian. “To reduce carbon emissions, it would be better for the city to speed up the renovation projects thermal property”, declared Jérôme Dubus, the group's Parisian Progressive, Constructive and Independent. With the disputed municipal elections just around the corner, the team of the mayor socialist of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who has made ecology one of the strong points of the mandate that seeks to renew in march, has been declared “very sensitive” to this issue, however, is not dealt with before the election date.