Celsias
As of July in Paris , all shops and offices in France will have to shut off their lights at night, under a government decree issued on Wednesday.
The decree is from the Environment Ministry, and the aim is to save energy and “reduce the print of artificial lighting on the nocturnal environment.”
It's an interesting step in France because lights are part of the French experience.
However, major iconic attractions such as the Eiffel Tower will remain lit, and local authorities can make exceptions for Christmas lighting and other celebrations. But France has decided to be “a pioneer” in preventing light pollution, said Delphine Batho, the environment minister.
The new law, she said in a statement, will also cut carbon dioxideemissions by 250,000 tons a year and save the equivalent of the annual consumption of 750,000 households. It is part of a series of government measures announced in December to improve energy efficiency and reduce waste.
Under the new law, the interior lights of nonresidential buildings will have to be turned off an hour after the last worker leaves, and lights on building facades and in shop windows will have to be extinguished by 1 a.m.
Back in the ?70s when the Gummint dealt with a power shortage by having street lights turned off at night, I was being regularly called out for hospital emergencies. I noted that the roads are much safer unlit as there are no distracting lights and other vehicles are clearly visible from their headlights. The occasional pedestrian usually carried a torch and were equally visible. Food for thought.
Written in March