European version – Do you enjoy that?

Guest “The math is so simple” by David Middleton

Energy poverty in Europe is linked to expensive renewable energy
It seems policymakers are rallying in Glasgow to accelerate the eradication of fossil fuels, precisely what has led to massive energy poverty in Europe.

November 6, 2021

By Mark Milke and Venkatachalam

With the recent increase in the price of natural gas in Europe to five times early 2021 is expected to see more Europeans and those in the UK falling into what is known as “energy poverty”.

From Greece to the UK and everywhere in between, the European power grid is increasingly separated from affordable reliable fossil fuels and entangled in expensive wind and solar projects. more money and not continuously.

One result is that Europeans pay twice for the electricity generated: once for the existing sunk costs of fossil fuel (and nuclear in some countries) projects and again for renewable power projects. Another outcome is that without wind and solar, many countries in Europe and elsewhere are chasing the same available oil, natural gas, and coal, driving the price of that fuel higher. significantly.

Canadians – and indeed everyone else around the world – should take notice. That’s because what Europeans are suffering and will have to suffer again this winter will only increase thanks to what governments around the world are pushing at the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change. 26th United Nations climate change (COP 26) in Glasgow, Scotland: Fossil fuel “elimination” is assumed to be even faster.

But it was past policy incentives that caused significant energy poverty in Europe even before prices spiked this autumn. (For those unfamiliar with the term, energy poor are all citizens who are too poor to pay their utility bills on time and/or keep their homes warm enough).

Stephen Bouzarovski, a professor at the University of Manchester and chair of a working group on energy poverty, estimates Before the pandemic, 80 million Europeans were struggling to adequately heat their homes. Meanwhile, at least 12 million European households owe their utility bills.

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Western standards

Stephen Bouzarovski’s energy poverty estimate is actually from a CNN Business article that goes on to quote an idiot from Friends of the Earth Europe…

Europe’s poor suffer as energy prices rise
By Walé Azeez, CNN Business – October 1

Millions of people across Europe may not be able to heat their homes this winter because gas and electricity prices soar.

Experts, anti-poverty organizations and environmental campaigners are warning that pandemic caused by corona virus and rising prices have compounded a longstanding problem associated with a combination of high energy costs, low household incomes and homes that are not energy efficient.

Recent research led by Stefan Bouzarovski, a professor at the University of Manchester and chair of the Engager energy poverty research network, shows that as many as 80 million households across Europe are struggling to keep up keep their homes warm enough before the pandemic.

The European Union describes energy poverty as the inability to obtain “appropriate thermal comfort in the home”. Only four European countries – France, Ireland, Slovakia and the UK – have an official definition, but experts say the problem is widespread.

[…]

Martha Myers, climate justice and energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe, part of the Right to Energy Coalition.

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CNN

Of course, those who demand Europe’s transition away from fossil fuels and nuclear power will demand that energy be seen as a “human right” and provided for free. According to Ms. Myers’ LinkedIn page, she holds a bachelor’s degree in “political anthropology” (WTF?) and a master’s degree in “sustainable development and anthropology.” Apparently the only thing to make a goat whole is sustainable is to make it free…

Energy Poverty in Four Easy Charts

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