Electricity and gas prices are skyrocketing throughout Europe, with most European capitals facing bills close to double from the previous year, according to new data from the Household Energy Price Index—a monthly tracker of energy prices for homes across 33 European capitals.
HEPI-collected data concluded that bills for natural gas in Europe have risen as much as 111 percent over the past year, with electricity prices shooting up an average of 69 percent. These two calculations create a total 90-percent increase in household energy bills over the past year, Euronews concluded.
“Significantly higher [energy prices] compared to one year ago … can be attributed to a combination of factors, such as increased demand connected to post-pandemic economic recovery and extraordinary weather conditions, the record-high prices for natural gas, and high CO2 emissions allowances,” noted the HEPI report authors.
Skyrocketing energy costs are an increasingly pernicious problem around the globe. Although there has been shockingly little mainstream coverage on the matter, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesingh and the country’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned from their positions after citizens stormed both their residences and reportedly set fire to one.
Video footage from the country allegedly showed a massive crowd of people taking over the President’s office.
Video footage of Sri Lankan protesters taking over President's office in Colombo
📸 Buddi U Chandrasiri pic.twitter.com/FINwaaqUat
— NewsWire 🇱🇰 (@NewsWireLK) July 9, 2022
Protests against the ruling government by Dutch farmers were seen in the Netherlands as well, although they did not approach the extremity of the situation faced by Sri Lanka.
Scenes from Roermond yesterday where the Dutch farmers continue their protest against the agenda 2030 green policies.
MORE: https://t.co/4Ufq8bx8Qhpic.twitter.com/BHj7rS8T0d
— Lewis Brackpool (@Lewis_Brackpool) July 10, 2022
As Oil Price noted, strikes and protests concerning unaffordable energy bills have come out of multiple European countries as well. The outlet argued that the cost of living in Europe will only get more prohibitively expensive once the EU embargoes on Russian oil and fuels take effect.
At least some Europeans do not appear to be backing down. Recent reports from Reuters have said that Britain’s Royal Mail will conduct two 48-hour strikes in late November and early December. Meanwhile, German trade union IG Metal Kueste said that several thousand workers plan to strike Tuesday. Other western European nations such as France and Spain have also seen worker strikes.
