The announcement of the prohibition of heated terraces at the end of winter 2021 causes a lifting of shields on the side of some café owners and restaurateurs. They mean inevitably a shortfall. But at the same time, they constitute an absurdity ecological.
We had talked about in previous articles, four braséros gas heating, a terrace (and thus outside) emit as much CO2 as a car of large displacement that travels 350 km.
A sector that is already proven
There is therefore nothing surprising in the fact that the ‘Convention’ for the climate on the issue, and that the prohibition decision was taken in the aftermath, Monday, July 27, by the defence Council ecological – among other measures.
Barbara Pompili, the minister of Ecology has reviewed the decision, but she was not the only one. Traders react with vehemence to the image of the national Group of independent hotels and restaurants, which speaks of the ” red rag waved under the nose of professionals who are on the brink of bankruptcy “.
Actually, put in difficulty by the attack of the coronavirus and the forced closure of their establishments, professionals foresee another threat with this measure. In winter, the heated terraces would represent, on average, 30% of the turnover of cafes and restaurants, even more so in the coldest regions.
A far too fast ?
In fact, anger does not, as a general rule, on the ban itself, but on the urgency of the decision taken in “non-concerted” while the sector has not yet risen to the crisis of the coronavirus and that the professionals had made substantial investments (10 000 to 15000€) in order to offer this service to their customers.
The feeling is well summarized by the president of the UMIH (Union of trades and industries of hospitality) of the Loire-Atlantic :
And take the example of Rennes, the first city of over 200,000 inhabitants to have prohibited the heated terraces, on the 1st of January 2020. “This has been done in three years, in order to give merchants time to amortize their investment and make sure that they do not buy “.
Author(s): FranceSoir
