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Tourists enjoy last days of patio heaters on Barcelona's terraces

The measure was first introduced in 2018, but the city council allowed for a gradual phasing out, to give time for the hospitality sector to adapt

Published: Tue 31 Dec 2024, 10:57 AM

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  • Reuters

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Tourists sit on a cafe terrace as they shelter from the cold with gas heaters, which will be banned due to CO2 emissions from the first day of the new year, in Rambla Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain December 28, 2024. — reuters

Tourists sit on a cafe terrace as they shelter from the cold with gas heaters, which will be banned due to CO2 emissions from the first day of the new year, in Rambla Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain December 28, 2024. — reuters

Tourists in Barcelona's historic centre were enjoying the last days of gas-powered patio heaters before their use is banned in 2025 because of their carbon emissions.

The ban will come into force on Jan. 1 and is the culmination of a years-long battle between the city council and restaurateurs who fear a loss of business from customers shunning outdoor seating areas during the winter.

The measure was first introduced in 2018, but the city council allowed for a gradual phasing out, to give time for the hospitality sector to adapt.

Electric heaters with a capacity no greater than 150W/m2 will still be permitted between Nov. 1 and April 30, the city council said in a statement on Dec. 17.

Heated outdoor seating areas are already banned in France, where energy conservation groups calculate that their use in a 75 m2 terrace during the winter months emitted as much CO2 as a car circling the globe three times.

An attempt by Madrid to ban heaters in outdoor areas was thwarted last year after a local court ruled that the city council had failed to provide evidence that they contributed to global warming.



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