According to the UK Office of National Statistics, bitterly cold UK weather contributed nearly 26,000 deaths last winter. Also according to the latest official figures there are over 3.9 million UK households in fuel poverty. Fuel poverty is defined as when a household needs to spend 10 per cent or more of its income on maintaining an acceptable level of heating.
Naturally, the risk of fuel poverty generally increases with age. Over half of the 3.9 million households have someone aged 60 or over.
Fuel poverty is such a big problem in the UK that a nationwide appeal is again being run by the Community Foundation Network. The appeals aim is to encourage people to make donations to help older and vulnerable people affected by fuel poverty this winter.
Yet the UK government, just like our own ecotard ALP Green Independent rainbow alliance, is committed under their Climate Change Act to spend $18 billion pounds a year on cutting carbon dioxide emissions.
"To think of people dying of cold in this country because they can't afford enough heating is really distressing.” said Sir Bruce Forsyth who backs the appeal.
That is true Sir Bruce, but what is really distressing is the untold billions being spent to fight an imaginary problem – Anthropogenic Global Warming.
As the BBC’s Michael Buerk noted in his December 28 post – “I would like to hear a clash of informed opinion about what would actually be better if it got warmer as well as worse.”
What I do know is it’s a lot easier to live in a Mediterranean like climate than a bitterly cold one.
