Europe is facing a major social test ahead of winter, as it juggles rising discontent, fuelled by soaring energy prices, and pressure to meet climate goals.
Whichever route governments choose, the coming winter is set to be plagued by social unrest, warned Naomi Hossain, a professor of development politics at the American University in Washington, DC.
Spanish citizens have been feeling the heat during a sizzling summer, after the government ordered air-conditioning to be set no cooler than 27 degrees Celsius in public buildings, hotels, restaurants and shopping centres. Germany, the EU nation most dependent on Russian fuels, has announced heating limits of 19C in the winter for public buildings and colder public pools, while cities like Augsburg are contemplating which traffic lights to turn off.
Gas supply through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which carries gas from Russia into Germany, has been significantly restricted for the past month, with the Russians blaming technical difficulties. But despite inflation hitting a 40-year high and the Bank of England warning of a lengthy recession, Britain's response to the crisis has been hampered by the race to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister.
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