[Telegraph] Smokers are feeling the cold in a French city that has banned outdoor heaters on café terraces, the last refuge of customers who want to savour a cigarette with their coffee.Rennes, in Brittany, is the first city in France to take the controversial step aimed at limiting pollution in response to the climate emergency. Nice, Bordeaux and Angers are considering similar legislation.
After smoking became illegal inside French cafés in 2007, those wishing to indulge in a "café-clope" (coffee with a cigarette) were banished to pavement terraces. Café owners say a large part of their revenue now risks going up in smoke if their terraces become cold and unwelcoming in winter.
Supporters of the ban argue that heating a café terrace for one winter emits as much carbon dioxide as driving a new car 120,000 kilometres (72,000 miles), or three times the circumference of the Earth.
Marie, 34, a teacher in Rennes, told the Telegraph: "There are so many other things that waste energy and cause pollution. Why focus on this one? Cafés are now offering blankets to keep warm but to be honest, I don’t like the idea of a blanket that other people have used."