New law turns rooftops green

THE ROOFTOPS of new buildings in commercial zones in France must be partially covered in plants or solar panels, under a law approved earlier this week.

The law approved by parliament was less stringent than what had been initially proposed by French environmental activists, who wanted to make green roofs that cover the entire surface mandatory on all new buildings.

But the government convinced MPs to limit the new rules to commercial buildings.

Green roofs are popular in Germany and Australia, while the Canadian city of Toronto adopted a by-law in 2009 making them a legal requirement for new industrial and residential buildings.

They have an insulating effect, helping to reduce the energy needed to heat a building in winter and cool it in summer. Plants 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.

Photo: h080