What is the energy crisis and how did it come about? These are some of the questions people up and down the country are asking, as they try to get to grips with the worsening economic situation. Britain’s gas prices have quadrupled over the last year.
The trouble stems from a global surge in demand for gas following a winter that left storage facilities depleted, plus a rebound in post lockdown energy demand. A race to fill gas stores before the return of colder temperatures has now caused market prices to surge. Hitting working people the hardest.
The UK government over the last decade has failed to invest in insulation, despite calls from environmental and fuel poverty groups. Successive governments, including this one, for decades have missed opportunities to invest sufficiently in renewable energy. Had they prioritised home insulation and clean energy, the demand for gas to heat homes would be much lower and we’d be less exposed to current price increases. The government’s failure to introduce a windfall tax on oil and gas allows companies to enjoy record profits as a result of this energy crisis.
It is evident that the energy crisis is here now and what we do now is very important. By taking all of these measures below we can reduce the impact of the crisis on us and the planet as well.
- A move towards renewable sources
- Buy energy efficient products
- Home insulation
- lighting controls
- Easier grid access
- Energy simulation
- Perform energy audit
- Common stand on climate change
Sign the Friends of the Earth petition to demand that polluters pay for the rising energy bills: https://act.friendsoftheearth.uk/petition/make-polluters-pay-rising-energy-bills?_ga=2.266736590.1952476687.1646218236-1617928560.1568642235
Written by Gilbert Sekelani
