Post by Maarten van Andel

AWAY WITH TERRACE HEATERS AND OPEN SHOP DOORS ‘The use of outdoor aircos and terrace heaters is an ecological aberration’, says Barbara Pompili. The French Minister of Ecology advocates that shops should stop cooling the streets in summer and heating the streets in winter. If their airco or heating is on, they must close their doors. Very much my idea. Eliminating energy waste is our biggest green opportunity, and this requires courage and decisiveness. A panel of 150 French, selected by lottery, has formulated 149 recommendations to mitigate global warming. This looks like a better approach to me than the five Dutch Climate Tables, in which a lot of lobbyists participated but no civilians. That left our largest innovation potential unused: The experience and insight of 17 million Dutch people. Many of those now heavily protest against various climate measures. One of the French recommendations is a ban on terrace heaters. The civilian panel so demonstrates understanding of what we should go after: Our big energy wasters. Energy is not as complicated as all that, it is only being made complicated. If you devote some attention to it and keep your eyes open, you can see the green opportunities literally lying in the streets.