Europe May Face a ‘Very Scary’ Winter

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has said Europe may face a “very scary situation” this winter, warning that surging energy prices across the region could mean that people will be unable to heat their homes, amid efforts by some nations to ditch Russian energy without any viable alternatives.

Speaking to Bloomberg journalist Akshat Rathi for a podcast episode, Gates was asked to comment on the “spectacularly bad” prospects for Europeans due to increasingly high energy prices this winter, RT said Saturday.

“The difference in the amount of natural gas you need in a very cold winter versus a mild winter will surprise people. It’s almost a factor of three,” he said. “So you better be hoping it’s a fairly mild winter… If it’s a very harsh winter, the tradeoffs are very, very difficult, including clamping industrial use [of energy] in large part, which people aren’t really ready for.”  

Gates was skeptical about declarations from some western countries that they would halt Russian energy purchases in retaliation for the conflict in Ukraine, suggesting Europe will have to remain dependent on those imports for some time to come.