The city of Milan becomes partly “smoke-free”

In order to fight air pollution, the city of Milan has chosen to make part of its public space cigarette-free as of 19 January. Here is what it involves.

No more cigarettes in certain parts of the city

Italy was the first European country to ban cigarettes in enclosed spaces, in 2005, on health grounds. Today the cigarette is back in the dock, this time on environmental grounds. Milan is one of the most polluted cities in Europe, not least because it lies in the Po valley. The city’s Democratic mayor, Beppe Sala, believes a smoking ban could help. According to some reports, cigarette smoke accounts for around 8 % of emissions of the fine particles known as PM10.

Since 19 January, it has therefore been strictly forbidden to smoke within 10 m of another person in certain public places, such as parks, cemeteries and stadiums, as well as at bus and tram stops. The mayor has also announced that by 2025 smoking will be banned in every street in the city.

Acting on the climate by banning other practices too

The mayor of Milan does not intend to stop at cigarettes. To press the point home and obtain measurable results, he also wants to ban fireworks and barbecues. No date for these measures has been given so far.

As for shops, Beppe Sala has already announced that from next year they will have to keep their doors closed, so as to avoid overheating or, conversely, over-using air conditioning.

These fairly radical decisions were taken in response to the Paris agreement. They are also presented as an additional protection for residents: not smoking, the city argues, preserves their health, and in the middle of an epidemic smokers will no longer remove their masks to blow smoke into the air.