The Heated Terraces of Paris Are Safe, For Now

PARIS — On January 24, the Paris Administrative Court overturned a ban on gas-fueled heaters for café terraces, which was supposed to take effect this June 1. The decision is a victory for café owners who consider themselves the cultural stewards of immortal Paris. For environmentally minded politicians, it is an outrage.

For over two years, Jacques Boutault, mayor of the 2nd Arrondissement and a member of EELV, the French Green Party, has crusaded against heaters on open-air terraces. “We are going to bring about a world where we must heat the streets in winter and cool them in summer to liberate ourselves from the hazards of climate,” he says. “We will finally realize the dream of becoming master and possessor of nature. No. Nature does not belong to man. Man belongs to nature.”