The indoor environment is still the environment! How can one advocate for clean air outside and still somehow condone smoking in an enclosed area?? It boggles the mind. I've been in the hospitality/bar business my whole life and have had to endure second hand smoke. In Illinois, we've finally passed a law to ban smoking in most indoor public places, including bars. Mr. Sparkes asks why we should penalize people for their addiction. Well, it's quite simple. Second hand smoke negatively affects the health of not only the smoker, but also any other person that comes into contact with that smoke, i.e. anyone else in the room and/or building. Besides, how is the smoker being penalized when he can still smoke outside? My right to partake in any activity ends when it hurts someone else. It's quite a simple concept that the world is finally embracing. It's taken so long because of the glamorization of smoking by the government (think FDR) and media. Smoking bans will lead to an overall decline in smoking consumption, which will lead to decreased production of cigarettes and lowered energy consumption. I know that the post was about the gas heaters. Why not present options for a less energy-intensive outdoor heater? I'm sure there are other viable solutions. I'm surprised that Treehugger would post something that promotes such an un-Treehugger-like activity.

Exactly - "why penalize people because of their addiction" -- Why penalize non-smokers, asthma sufferers, bar keepers, restaurant workers and others for the smokers' addictions...excellent point!

No licences allowed. This ban applies universally and it's great! Coming back from the pub without having your clothes reek of smoke is very nice. And smokers aren't being penalised, all they have to do is step outside for a few minutes. It will do wonders for all those people struggling to give up who will be able to break the pavlovian response of lighting up a cigarette as soon as they sit down for a pint.

But what I'm seeing in London is that a lot of pubs are installing electric halogen patio heaters. These probably direct the heat a little better than the gas ones but they're putting out 2.5 times more CO2 for each kWh

While personally hating the stench of secondhand smoke.
It should be up to the owner of the establishment to allow
smoking or not. I am free to stay away or simply go elsewhere.

Surely, instead of using more fossil fuels, owners should be looking towards other, more friendly methods of warming their patrons. Far fetched, maybe, but surely they could make use of the warm air inside their establishments, providing heated furniture outside via metals with high efficiency of transporting heat.

This smoking ban is in no way 'long awaited'; it is in fact reviled, completely absurd and an affront to all decent people.

Anyone who wants to run a restaurant should be at liberty to do so in any way they like. if people do not want to eat where other people are smoking, then they can either find a place where the restaurateur has a no smoking policy or go start their own restaurant.

All the people who applaud this legislation are insane. They think that the UK government is 'too controlling' but then think its perfectly fine to ban smoking with new law. Nothing good will come of this, as it will embolden the stalinists to make even more legislation controlling everything that we do, right into our homes.

And as for warming up the planet with outdoor heaters, This is just childish nonsense. Of far more significance in every metric are the fumes from cars that poison every person in London on a daily basis. If they can ban smoking in public places, why do they not ban cars that do not have 99% efficient catalytic converters to eliminate the choking fumes?

This ban is a hypocritical, illogical piece of control freakery, and as such, should be despised and disobeyed by everyone everywhere.

I personally loathe smoking and smokers, but I am totally on their side, because I understand that They are coming for me next, and if I do not stand up for the smokers, no one will stand up for me when it is my turn.

You ENJOY the smell of second hand smoke? So, you care about the environment, but not your health or the health of others?

One of the most dumbest things I've ever read.

It's sad that fixing one problem causes another. I anticipated the patio heater boom once my local pub started reconstructing the beer garden back in April. Although it's good that some DIY stores have decided to not stock patio heaters. This is quite a stance considering that most companies look after increasing markets like this rather than the environment.

Most bars that I have been in use very energy inefficient air filtration units to clean the inside air. (It is a requirement in many US bars.) It seems to me it might just be an energy/pollution trade off to use outdoor heaters instead of the air filtration units.

Actually patio heaters add to restaurant capacity. The use less energy than conditioning the equivalent amount of indoor space and the embodied energy and cleaning cost is much less than indoor space.

Mark makes an excellent point that patio heaters provide capacity without much construction, sort of dematerializing the restaurant.

That being said, why settle for less bad when we could have good? Several restaurants in Vancouver BC offer lap blankets to patio patrons. We could learn from the Japanese, who make extensive use of the Kotatsu heated tables (best thing ever). Combine this with solar hot water and we are really getting someplace good.

Ron and Tommy, I'm a restaurant owner. You both say that I should be allowed to run my business any way I want. By your logic, I should not have to deal with any food or beverage service licences or health departments. My employees should not be required to wash their hands.

In fact, why even wash the dishes? Dishwasher detergent (and the labor to wash the dishes) is expensive. After all, it's my place, right? Then it can be up to you to decide whether to dine there. Too bad you probably won't know about all that because I sure won't advertise it.

The common mischaracterization of smoking bans as being intrusive and unreasonable is tiresome and simplistic. As I showed above, it just doesn't make sense. In fact, a lack of smoking bans is unconstitutional in the U.S. and more than half of the states in the union have realized this and have passed public smoking bans. It's just a matter of time before the entire country is smoke-free (in public places) and because of that, Treehuggers should rejoice!

How nice. "Smokers' rights?!" How about the rights of those of us with asthma not to be sent to the emergency room every time we want to go to a restaurant or bar? And for those who say, just go to a different bar then - I challenge you to find a bar or pub in Europe or the U.S. that is smoke-free if there aren't laws restricting smokers. It's an issue of the rights of the disabled. I'd get thrown out of any establishment if I went up and punched someone in the chest - but this is exactly how it feels to me when someone lights up in the same room as me. Smoking is no different than a physical assault on those of us with lung disorders. You wouldn't deliberately go and shove someone in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs, so why is it acceptable to harm those of us with disabilities of the lung? Are most of you arguing against smoking bans also then arguing to remove protections for the disabled such as wheelchair ramps and accessible bathrooms? ASTHMA IS A DISABILITY. Those of us with this disability demand the same rights of accessbility as those with other disabilities.

When you've taken yourself or your child to the E.R. at midnight a few times, or when you've lost a loved one to asthma, maybe you'll understand.

I am a Bar Manager in the UK and because of the special position of the Bar that I manage, we banned smoking on 1 JANUARY (or seven months ago), while you could still smoke everyplace else.

What happened? Our business WENT UP compared to the same time frame last year.

Why? Individuals that previously did not come to the Bar started to stop by and NONE of the smokers stopped coming. So, it meant that we made more money.

I think that the smoking ban is a good idea b/c it will reduce NHS costs and, unlike many smoking bans, can be reasonably enforced (b/c both sides - landlord and smoker - will receive fines for violating the ban). Additionally, having worked food & alcohol service for 11 years (since my first job), it is change that I am happy to embrace! No more smelly clothes, No more ash trays to clean, Less mess to sweep up, and the list goes on ...

Also, just to stay on topic, we did not install patio heaters at our Bar. We provide a covered area for smokers to stay dry but no heat. They can put on a coat or jumper!

I agree with this post.. I do not smoke but I am not personally offended by smokers.. When I go to a bar I expect people to be smoking, it's a legal addiction so why outlaw smoking in bars? I don't think it's fair to smokers. They're allowed to smoke this legal substance, but now they are told they must go outside. Of course they're going to want heaters, bars don't want to lose business because of this new law. And it's understandable, and unfortunate. People aren't going to quit smoking because it's bad for the environment, it's an addiction!