Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 3, Faced with the high energy bills brought about by the shortage of energy, the Germans hoard firewood and intend to use the ancient way of burning wood to heat them through the winter; Poor families in Denmark are forced to quit their apartments and choose tent camping; Some people in the UK plan to leave heating unheated all winter; The Finnish government has launched a national energy conservation campaign to encourage people to shorten bathing time.
Experts said that Europeans are embarrassed to cope with the energy shortage dilemma, reflecting that the anti-phagocytic effect caused by the EU's follow-up to the United States to impose multiple rounds of sanctions on Russia has gradually emerged, bringing a serious crisis to the EU itself.
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The "energy winter" is not good
Due to unstable gas supplies and soaring prices, many German households turned to firewood and wood chips for heating, stockpiling firewood ahead of schedule for the winter. Martin Benteler, director of the German Energy Wood and Pellet Fuel Association, said that due to the situation in Ukraine, many consumers and heating companies in Germany are worried about the shortage of natural gas and have turned to lower-cost non-fossil fuels, resulting in a shortage of firewood and wood chips, and the price has also risen.
In mid-August, the German word "firewood" hit a new high in searches on Google's website. In order to prevent panic buying, some sellers have introduced "purchase restriction" measures - only 3 boxes of firewood can be purchased at a time. The Federal Association of the German Firewood Industry recently announced that there is no more firewood on the market. German firewood suppliers began buying from Poland, causing some residents of both countries to start collecting branches.
Workers work in a wood processing plant in Germany. Video screenshots
In the Nordic country of Denmark, Pal Jornik, an elderly apartment manager in the capital Copenhagen, told Xinhua: "I pay attention to what time of day it is cheapest to wash dishes or clothes. Rising energy prices have a big impact on residents of elderly apartments, he said, and some may be forced to move out of their apartments.
Zenia Konum, from Zealand, Denmark, has been living in the tent camp with her daughter, Kasia, for more than a month. Although the Danish government provides winter heating subsidies for pension families, rising energy and living expenses have forced the mother and daughter to rent out the apartment.
"It was cold at night and I didn't dare go to the toilet because sometimes there were drunks outside the toilet. I also couldn't do my homework because I couldn't get internet in the tent. Cassia said.
Danish Zenia Konum is outside the tent where she and her daughter live. Video screenshots
In Finland, where electricity prices continue to rise, even the wallet of Economic Affairs Minister Mika Lintilet has been lost due to the use of electricity for heating homes. Finland's Evening News reported that the electricity bill paid by Lintilet's family had recently surged by 463%. He admits that while he can afford to pay the bills and "get through it," the winter will be difficult for some other families.
According to a recent survey in the Uk, more than 20% of respondents intend to turn on heating throughout the winter this year due to soaring energy prices.
The energy dilemma is thought-provoking
In Europe, where the economy is developed and facilities are highly modern, people are forced to "travel through" the era of re-burning wood heating to cope with the energy crisis, which is quite ironic and thought-provoking.
Sean Field, an energy expert at the University of St Andrews in the United Kingdom, said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency: "This is indeed a very strange time: in one of the richest regions in the world, people can't keep warm at home, but instead turn to burning firewood or going to community centers for heating. ”
In order to cope with the energy shortage, the German federal government said on August 31 that it would introduce a third round of energy subsidies as soon as possible. European countries such as France, the Netherlands, and Greece have also introduced policies calling on people to save energy. Finland is scheduled to launch a national energy conservation campaign in October with the theme of "Lower One Degree", encouraging all Finns to drive less and walk more, reduce indoor heating temperatures, shorten bathing time, hoard firewood and more.
Pedestrians brave the snow on the streets in Helsinki, Finland, on February 2, 2010. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhao Changchun
Christian Tursson, president of the Danish market investment consultancy, believes that Europe has taken actions and measures to get rid of energy dependence, but for the current crisis, the effect of these actions is "small and slow".
Overall, the European energy crisis is difficult to break in the short term. According to the American economist Jeffrey Sachs, "the important reason for the rise in energy prices is sanctions against Russia, not carbon reduction policies, and Europe has chosen this path to plunge itself into recession." He pointed out that the imposition of energy sanctions on Russia will inevitably bring a serious crisis to Europe itself while hitting the Russian economy.
Field, a British expert, said that as long as Europe and the United States do not stop imposing sanctions on Russia, the European energy crisis will inevitably continue. "We're looking forward to ending this energy crisis as soon as possible, maybe next year, but nobody really knows when." He said. (Reporters: Guo Shuang, Zhao Xiaona, Lin Jing, Shan Weiyi, Wang Pingping, Chen Jing, Wu Liming, Bu Xiaoming; Reporter: Larry Nilder; Editors: Diao Ze, Sun Shuo; Editors: Diao Ze, Zhang Dailei, Wang Fengfeng)