Europe is facing a major social test ahead of winter, as it juggles rising discontent, fuelled by soaring energy prices, and pressure to meet climate goals as the Ukraine conflict drags on.
British grassroots group "Don't Pay UK" is calling for people to boycott energy bills from Oct. 1, while the trade union-backed "Enough is Enough" campaign kicked off a series of rallies and actions in mid-August calling for pay rises, rent caps, cheaper energy and food, and taxes on the rich.
"Nobody wants to see blackouts," said Simone Tagliapietra, senior fellow at Bruegel, a Brussels-based economic think-tank, adding that all options must be considered to avoid that scenario, "including polluting ones". Spanish citizens have been feeling the heat during a sizzling summer, after the government ordered air-conditioning to be set no cooler than 27 degrees Celsius in public buildings, hotels, restaurants and shopping centres.
When people start complaining en masse about their inability to pay for their basic needs - and must choose between heating or eating - it can overturn governments, said Hossain. She called for a policy focus on the "three Rs" of "relief, retrofit and renewables": financial support for the poor, upgrading buildings to save energy starting with social housing, and scaling up investment in wind, solar and other renewables.
Pragmatism is driving decisions to revive polluting power plants, said Tagliapietra, adding that without stop-gap measures the economic and social consequences could be "devastating".
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