After midnight, French environmental activists spread out like urban guerrillas on the streets of Paris, climbing walls and drain pipes to reach switches and turn off lights.
One by one, the outdoor lights left on by the stores are turned off. It is a small but symbolic step in Europe's attempt to save energy in order to wean itself off natural gas and oil from Russia so that factories can continue to work and households can be heated and have electricity, writes the Associated Press agency.
Engineer Kevin Ha and his equally nimble friends have been working against waste in Paris long before Russia began cutting energy supplies to a conflicted Europe over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. These activists were the forerunners of initiatives for rational energy consumption that became popular in France, Germany and elsewhere. Their message - that everyone can contribute - is almost identical to the appeals made these days by public officials, from ministers to mayors.
"Everyone can have a positive impact on their own level, by adopting good practices, doing the right things to reduce their overall energy footprint," 30-year-old Ha told AP during a recent nighttime action to turn off the lights on Elisejska Polje Avenue.
AP reminds that the stakes are high and that authorities fear that Europe risks becoming colder, darker and less productive in the winter if Russia cuts gas supplies that have already been drastically reduced. It is now imperative to save the gas for later use in homes, factories and power plants, officials say.
"Europe must be ready," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. "In order to get through the winter, assuming there is a complete interruption of Russian gas supplies, we have to save gas in order to fill the warehouses faster. And to do that, we need to reduce gas consumption. I know it's a big request for the entire European Union, but it's necessary to protect ourselves."
Although Europe is struggling to secure energy from other sources, any difficulties this winter could herald an even worse situation if Russia completely cuts off gas supplies and remains so until the end of 2023, said French Energy Minister Agnes Panier-Runacher.
Hence the increasingly frequent appeals to Europeans to take shorter showers, turn off the lights and in other ways contribute to a more rational consumption of energy.
Germany received roughly a third of its gas from Russia, making the EU's largest economy and most populous country particularly vulnerable. No
The energy revolution is in full swing - the lights are turned off, the temperature in public pools is reduced and the thermostats are adjusted.
In the glass dome of the Reichstag, Berlin's parliament building, the lights go out after it closes to visitors at midnight, and the facade will no longer be illuminated. Temperatures in legislators' offices will drop two degrees to 20 degrees Celsius this winter. Berlin's City Hall, the Jewish Museum, two opera houses and the famous Victory Column with a panoramic view are among around 200 locations in the German capital that will no longer be illuminated at night.
The saunas at the municipal swimming pools in Munich, which are now also cooler, are closing. Only cold showers are possible at public swimming pools in Hanover, which is part of the northern city's plan to reduce energy use by 15 percent.
"The sum of all contributions will help us get through this and prepare for next winter," said Robert Habeck, Germany's vice chancellor and economy minister. He also told the weekly "Spiegel" that he himself shortened his shower time.
"It will be a demanding, difficult road, but we can handle it," he said.
As part of the "Flip the Switch" campaign, the Dutch government is urging citizens not to take showers longer than five minutes, to use umbrellas and fans instead of air conditioners, and to air dry laundry.
According to a law passed on Monday in Spain, offices, shops and restaurants will no longer be allowed to set their thermostats below 27 degrees Celsius in summer, nor above 19 degrees Celsius in winter.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called on ministers, public officials and private sector employees not to wear ties, in order to reduce the need to use air conditioning. He set an example when he appeared at a press conference in a shirt without a tie.
The Italian government is also proposing to limit heating and cooling in public buildings.
The French authorities have set a goal to reduce energy consumption by 10 percent by 2024, as part of the "energy sobriety" initiative. Mayors are also waging their own war on waste and fines have been introduced for air-conditioned shops that leave their doors open, while others work to limit the impact of rising energy prices.
Pupils to dress warmer
Eight thousand citizens of Aurelan, at the foot of the Pyrenees in the southwest of France, have been adjusting to nights without street lights since July 11. Turning off 1.770 lights from 11:84.000 p.m. to 2021:XNUMX a.m. will save money that Mayor Janik Bube would rather spend on roads and other maintenance. Otherwise, he said, the XNUMX-euro bill for lighting the city from XNUMX would almost triple this year.
"In such a situation, there is no reason to keep the lights on at night," he told the AP.
"It has the effect of changing the way of thinking."
Next will be convincing citizens to agree to less heated classrooms when school starts.
"We plan to suggest to parents to dress their children in warmer clothes, to implement all the measures that do not cost anything. We have no choice, unfortunately.”
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