2024-01-24T09:44:28+00:00
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/ The “End Fuel Poverty” coalition in Britain revealed, in a report, that nearly 5,000 people died in the United Kingdom last winter, due to living in cold and damp homes, where they could not afford the increasing energy costs.
The coalition warned that the rise in deaths underscores the need to improve housing stock in the United Kingdom and implement measures to reduce energy bills, according to the Russian RT Arabia website.
The End Fuel Poverty coalition includes Greenpeace, WWF, Green Alliance, Save the Children and others.
Meanwhile, a study by the Warm This Winter campaign revealed that deaths rise in winter when temperatures in the UK drop below four degrees Celsius.
Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said that about 8.3 million adults in the United Kingdom live in poorly insulated, cold and damp homes, and as temperatures drop, conditions turn from uncomfortable to “downright dangerous.”
“While families struggle, ministers sit idly by and leave matters of life and death to chance,” he told Euronews. “Instead of taking action on energy bills, they have allowed energy companies to resume using the courts to force families to use prepaid meters, and have now ruled out reforming energy tariffs to help “Those who need it most.”
Meanwhile, with energy bills expected to remain well above pre-pandemic levels this year and beyond, these health risks are expected to persist this winter after a series of cold snaps, experts warn.
The coalition criticized the British government for not taking “meaningful” measures to help families suffering from high energy bills. Experts pointed out that officials “prefer to practice politics through a draft law for oil and gas licenses, which will do nothing to improve energy security or reduce bills.”
The coalition report also criticized the UK government for refusing to set up a “repayment assistance” scheme for those struggling with energy debt, as well as for being unwilling to implement a proposed emergency energy tariff aimed at reducing the energy bills of vulnerable households.