Analysis reveals that the UK government’s neglect in insulating cold and drafty homes is resulting in the loss of thousands of lives annually.

According to the recent Greenpeace study, on average, 58 individuals perish each day during the winter due to living in frigid homes. This significant increase in fatalities can be attributed to the Conservative government under David Cameron, who implemented a policy to reduce funding for home insulation, known colloquially as “cutting the green crap.”

Thousands of individuals are dying due to extreme temperatures in their own households during the winter season, according to Paul Morozzo, a campaigner for Greenpeace UK’s effort to combat fuel poverty. Despite this avoidable and alarming loss of life, our leaders have not taken action to prevent it. In fact, they have exacerbated this quiet public health emergency by cutting funding for insulation and neglecting to establish a comprehensive program to improve the conditions of our cold, humid, and drafty homes.

Morozzo stated that addressing issues of cold and damp homes would not only improve the quality of life but also result in lower bills, addressing the problem of fuel poverty and the financial burden of high living costs, while also decreasing carbon emissions.

The Labour party promised to allocate the necessary £6 billion yearly, as recommended by experts and Greenpeace, to address the state of housing in the UK. However, their proposed budget for insulating homes has been reduced by over 70%.

Greenpeace activists created a mock cemetery on Wednesday morning in a royal park near the Houses of Parliament in London to commemorate the release of the report. They used insulation boards to create hundreds of headstones as a symbolic gesture.

Activists pointed out that the UK had some of the least energy-efficient housing in western Europe. Government figures released last month show there are 3.17m households living in fuel poverty in the UK. Poorly insulated homes also contribute to poor health and are estimated to cost the NHS more than £850m a year in England.

Housing is directly responsible for about 14% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions, driven in part by the large proportion of uninsulated or poorly insulated homes.

“The upcoming government needs to prioritize providing safe and effective insulation for our homes that is installed by qualified workers,” stated Stuart Bretherton of Fuel Poverty Action.

Rehabilitating and updating the housing supply in the UK has the potential to prevent more casualties, generate numerous employment opportunities, and significantly decrease energy inefficiency in households, resulting in lower emissions and utility costs.

Source: theguardian.com