We are told that Russia's invasion of Ukraine, followed by the sabotage incident at the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, are the reason why energy prices are soaring in Europe. The truth, however, is that energy, food and other inflation was already soaring before the Russian invasion – meaning Wall Street and other financial tyrants are once again the real culprits.
The latest reports suggest that much of Europe is on the verge of returning to "medieval" days without electricity, which is massively spiking demand for wood, stoves, fireplaces and other things needed to stay warm in the dead cold of winter. (Related: Europe truly is on the verge of a total energy collapse.)
The prospect of rolling blackouts or worse edges closer as the leaves fall and temperatures drop. The fun and games are nearing their end, in other words, and many Europeans are starting to feel fear and panic about what might happen next if they fail to at least try to prepare for the worst.
Because firewood is now in short supply, many Europeans are now burning ANYTHING they can find for heat
According to reports, upwards of 70 percent of the European population relies on natural gas to heat their homes. Right now, about 40 million people have started to, or already were, burning wood to heat their homes in anticipation of a lights out situation in the coming months or even weeks.
European Union (EU) leaders tried but failed to agree on a price cap for natural gas, which was followed by Europeans "panic buying the world's most basic fuel," reported Bloomberg.
Demand is already so high that Hungary recently banned all exports of wood pellets to preserve them for its own citizens (perhaps United States politicians could learn a thing or two about this concept?), while Romania has capped firewood prices through next spring.
"It's back to the old days when people wouldn't have the whole house heated," said Nic Snell, managing director at British wholesale firewood retailer Certainly Wood, adding that firewood is in very high demand.
The price for wood pellets in France has reportedly doubled in recent weeks, reaching 600 euros. Other European nations are seeing similar price spikes as demand increases.
Stove demand is also high, according to Gabriel Kakelugnar AB, a manufacturer of high-end tiled stoves. Demand for the company's stoves has surged more than 400 percent, with the current wait time for delivery extending all the way out to next March – which is too late to survive the upcoming winter season.
With firewood now scarcely available across Europe, some citizens are resorting to burning other things like trash or whatever they can find. This is rapidly turning into a survival situation, in other words.
"We are worried that people will just burn what they can get their hands on," said Roger Sedin, head of the air quality unit at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
In Poland, some households are already doing just that, burning trash and coal in desperate search of warmth.
Back in August, Google searches for the word "firewood" also began to "explode," reports indicate.
"Europeans have to ask if soaring electricity bills and a cost-of-living crisis are worth supporting NATO's proxy war in Ukraine via sanctions against Russia," one report explained.
"People in Prague are already tired of Western sanctions that have devastated their economy and financial well-being."
As the world economy implodes by design, we will keep you informed about the latest at Collapse.news.
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