Rampant energy bills threaten to lead to a real humanitarian crisis in the near future. An ominous warning came yesterday from British Confederation of Organizations national health care system, but applies to everything Europewhich is preparing for a very severe winter, as the reduction in flows Russian natural gas and ever-increasing fuel and energy bills present governments, businesses and consumers with painful dilemmas.

“The country is heading towards a humanitarian crisis. Many people will be faced with a terrible choice: skip meals to keep warm or live in the cold,” said health organization spokesman Matthew Taylor. He added that the energy shortage situation could increase the number of cases of respiratory illness, mental illness and increase the strain on the national health system, which continues to experience the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest estimate is that UK households’ average annual spending on electricity bills (electricity and gas) is expected to double to £4,000 (€4,720) by January, putting pressure on inflation, which reached 10.1% last month.

No train or subway

The ongoing wave of strikes, the largest in decades, is seen as a harbinger of social tensions that are expected to escalate. Yesterday it London was practically left without metro and trains due to a strike organized by trade unions demanding higher wages in line with inflation. Tens of thousands of workers on the national rail network went on strike a day earlier and will continue to strike today.

The outlook for energy is bleak, says the German finance ministry, and the vice president of the parliament calls for the launch of Nord Stream 2.

Growing pressure on governments is testing the resilience and cohesion of Europeans over sanctions against Russia and forcing tough decisions on their environmental agenda. Britain’s National Grid has signed contracts with private companies to extend the operation of coal-fired power plants, though authorities are talking about a “last resort”.

AT Germanya sensation was caused by the position of the vice-chairman of the parliament, Wolfgang Kubicki, who requested the commissioning of the Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 so that the country does not have a gloomy winter. “People should not be thawed in the winter and our industry should not suffer serious damage,” Kubicki said, arguing that “the natural gas from Nord Stream 2 is no more unethical than the one we already consume through Nord Stream 1“. The construction of Nord Stream 2 was completed, but the start of operation was canceled by the government of Olaf Soltz after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Commenting on statements by Kubitsky, a politician from the ruling Free Democrats party, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that “dependence on Russian natural gas kills.”

Throwing bills

The German finance ministry’s monthly report, released yesterday, said “the outlook for growth is clearly unfavorable” as manufacturing costs rose 37.2% year-on-year, the biggest since 1949, when they began to be archived. The key factor in the deterioration of the situation was the increase in energy tariffs, which increased by 105% over the same period. In addition, the head of the Energy Regulatory Authority (BNA), Klaus Müller, stressed that businesses and consumers must cut their natural gas consumption by a fifth if they do not want to face drastic restrictions in the winter.

In a relatively better position is France, which provides 70% of its electricity needs from its nuclear power plants thanks to the energy self-sufficiency policy developed by Charles de Gaulle. However, President Emmanuel Macron recently urged citizens to be “oligarchs” in energy consumption to avoid the worst of winter.