{"id":237032,"date":"2022-12-31T13:36:57","date_gmt":"2022-12-31T12:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=237032"},"modified":"2022-12-31T13:36:58","modified_gmt":"2022-12-31T12:36:58","slug":"winters-risks-increased-by-stupid-energy-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=237032","title":{"rendered":"Winter\u2019s risks increased by stupid energy policies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From \u00a0Real Clear Energy<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0Vijay Jayaraj<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spare a thought for millions who will be living through an uncertain winter due to unaffordable heating prices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation is worse this year because of the energy crisis in Europe, where fuel is scarce and expensive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the U.S., a bomb cyclone that suddenly chilled much of the country sent power demand soaring and disrupted supplies to consumers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a species born in the tropics, humans are prone to greater morbidity and mortality in winter. People exposed to cold conditions\u00a0have a<\/a>\u00a0\u201chigher risk of stroke, respiratory infection and other injuries\u201d due to reduced strength and dexterity in low temperatures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether the threat is a flu infection or a fall, the risk is generally greater in the more challenging environment of cold weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency<\/a>, \u201cDeath rates in winter months have been eight to 12% higher than in non-winter months.\u201d It adds that \u201ceven moderately cold days can increase the risk of death for many people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dangers of winter temperatures are not unique to temperate regions. Even subtropical people are susceptible. According to a study<\/a> published by PLOS ONE<\/a>, the subtropical Chinese city of Guangzhou \u201cshowed a clear seasonal pattern in mortality, with a sharper spike in winter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heating of homes and other buildings is what reduces winter risks. However, access to heating is not uniform across the world. In underdeveloped regions, the primary method of heating is to light a fire using wood, dried animal dung or some flammable waste available in the vicinity. People often forage for days looking for wood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In more developed economies of the West, most people use gas or electricity-based heaters, which are more reliable, clean and convenient than open-flame heating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a\u00a0recent survey<\/a>\u00a0in the U.S., 48% of people prefer to use gas. Electricity is preferred by 38%. Fuel oil and kerosene are the third most common source of heat.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, it unsurprising that a high cost of gas and electricity leads people in developed economies to cut back on winter heating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In New Zealand, fuel poverty is reported to be a\u00a0contributing factor<\/a>\u00a0to the country\u2019s high rate of excess winter mortality and hospitalizations. According to a European Parliament report, \u201cIn 2020, about 36 million Europeans were unable to keep their homes adequately warm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commenting on the sharp spike in the UK\u2019s power prices in 2022, analyst Peter Matejic says<\/a>, \u201cIt is impossible to think a care worker or a shop assistant will have to scramble to find hundreds more pounds to pay for their heating or that the entirety of someone\u2019s income for a whole year will be less than their energy bill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UK\u2019s National Health Service, the second largest publicly funded healthcare system in the world, has issued a stark warning about increasing energy prices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe country is facing a humanitarian crisis,\u201d NHS\u2018s confederation chief executive\u00a0said<\/a>. \u201cMany people could face the awful choice between skipping meals to heat their homes and having to live in cold, damp and very unpleasant conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This in turn could lead to outbreaks of illness and sickness around the country and widen health inequalities, worsen children\u2019s life chances and leave an indelible scar on local communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the U.S., a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that<\/a> \u201ca lower heating price reduces winter mortality, driven mostly by cardiovascular and respiratory causes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, winter mortality drops with the price of heating, and vice versa. Usually, this unaffordability of heating occurs when<\/a> there is an overall slowdown in economic growth, resulting in lower purchasing power among consumers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the current heating crisis is a direct consequence of \u201cgreen\u201d policies that have pushed up the price of energy in developed economies. An irrational insistence to transition to wind and solar has increased prices and\u00a0reduced reliability of energy supplies<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blackouts<\/a>\u00a0like ones experienced by millions over the Christmas weekend are a serious threat to lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policy makers ignore these realities at the risk of losing the public\u2019s trust. Consumers who once casually put their lives in the hands of large utilities have reason to feel less secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vijay Jayaraj is a Research Associate at the <\/em>CO2 Coalition<\/em><\/a>, Arlington, Virginia. He holds a master\u2019s degree in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia, UK and resides in India. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spare a thought for millions who will be living through an uncertain winter due to unaffordable heating prices. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":237038,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-237032","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","9":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-975.png?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-ZF6","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":237545,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=237545","url_meta":{"origin":237032,"position":0},"title":"Winter\u2019s Risks Increased By Unaffordable Heating Prices","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/01\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Spare a thought for millions who will be living through an uncertain winter due to unaffordable heating prices. 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