Tweet
France decrees new rooftops must be covered in plants or solar panels
All new buildings in commercial zones across the country must comply with new environmental legislation
Friday 20 March 2015 03.41 GMT Last modified on Friday 20 March 2015 16.16
Rooftops on new buildings built in commercial zones in France must either be partially covered in plants or solar panels, under a law approved on Thursday.
Green roofs have an isolating (sic*) effect, helping reduce the amount of energy needed to heat a building in winter and cool it in summer.
The argument for divesting from fossil fuels is becoming overwhelming
They also retain rainwater, thus helping reduce problems with runoff, while favouring biodiversity and giving birds a place to nest in the urban jungle, ecologists say.
The law approved by parliament was more limited in scope than initial calls by French environmental activists to make green roofs that cover the entire surface mandatory on all new buildings.
The Socialist government convinced activists to limit the scope of the law to commercial buildings.
The law was also made less onerous for businesses by requiring only part of the roof to be covered with plants, and giving them the choice of installing solar panels to generate electricity instead.
Green roofs are popular in Germany and Australia, and Canada’s city of Toronto adopted a by-law in 2009 mandating them in industrial and residential buildings.
1. The writer should have used the word "insulating effect" not isolating effect as they are mistranslating it directly from French where the verb "isoler" means "insulate", but in English isolate does not mean insulate but to keep something separate or distant.
2. I don't like France because it is a very racist and Islamophobic country but they've done at least one good thing.
Solar panels being put on a roof.
A roof with green plants.
Both of these things will become a legal obligation soon for many buildings in France.
This story has 3,999 comments on Reddit at the time of writing:
* [MENTION=2]Admin Khan[/MENTION] could you please change the title of this thread to: "France decrees new rooftops must be covered in plants or solar panels"
All new buildings in commercial zones across the country must comply with new environmental legislation
Friday 20 March 2015 03.41 GMT Last modified on Friday 20 March 2015 16.16
Rooftops on new buildings built in commercial zones in France must either be partially covered in plants or solar panels, under a law approved on Thursday.
Green roofs have an isolating (sic*) effect, helping reduce the amount of energy needed to heat a building in winter and cool it in summer.
The argument for divesting from fossil fuels is becoming overwhelming
They also retain rainwater, thus helping reduce problems with runoff, while favouring biodiversity and giving birds a place to nest in the urban jungle, ecologists say.
The law approved by parliament was more limited in scope than initial calls by French environmental activists to make green roofs that cover the entire surface mandatory on all new buildings.
The Socialist government convinced activists to limit the scope of the law to commercial buildings.
The law was also made less onerous for businesses by requiring only part of the roof to be covered with plants, and giving them the choice of installing solar panels to generate electricity instead.
Green roofs are popular in Germany and Australia, and Canada’s city of Toronto adopted a by-law in 2009 mandating them in industrial and residential buildings.
1. The writer should have used the word "insulating effect" not isolating effect as they are mistranslating it directly from French where the verb "isoler" means "insulate", but in English isolate does not mean insulate but to keep something separate or distant.
2. I don't like France because it is a very racist and Islamophobic country but they've done at least one good thing.
Solar panels being put on a roof.
A roof with green plants.
Both of these things will become a legal obligation soon for many buildings in France.
This story has 3,999 comments on Reddit at the time of writing:
* [MENTION=2]Admin Khan[/MENTION] could you please change the title of this thread to: "France decrees new rooftops must be covered in plants or solar panels"