The rising cost of living: Fuel

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 4 June 2022

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Lebanon has been in an economic crisis for almost three years. Beirut is still recovering from an explosion of stored chemicals in 2020, which killed more than 200 people and displaced around 300,000 citizens. Three women talk about how fuel shortages are affecting lives when not everyone can afford to pay the increased cost of energy. Host Karnie Sharp and the OS team also hear from two protestors in Sri Lanka about dealing with power cuts, and if they believe the recent change of government will improve the situation there. As the rising cost of living hits some of the most vulnerable particularly hard, two people in the UK share their experiences: writer and recovering alcoholic Sam Thomas, and Jenny Holden, who has a form of chronic arthritis as well as the long-term health condition fibromyalgia, which causes body pain that gets a lot worse in the cold, and means paying higher fuel bills is becoming increasingly difficult.

Transcript

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0:00.0	What goes into making the business daily podcasts from the BBC World Service?
0:04.8	Well first we take a cup full of business news. Naturally.
0:08.0	Then we add a healthy measure of technology.
0:10.0	Mmm. Along with a pinch of exciting innovation.
0:14.0	Business daily from the BBC World Service. Find out more at the end of this podcast.
0:24.0	Hello, I'm Karnie Sharp on the BBC World Service and this is BBC OS Conversations
0:29.0	on the Rising Cost of Living fuel.
0:34.0	We continue to share stories about how people are dealing with the difficult global economy.
0:39.0	This time in Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and Lebanon.
0:43.0	We hear about the effect of fuel shortages on power supplies and the impact of higher fuel prices
0:49.0	when you've got a long term health condition with body pain that gets worse when it's cold.
0:55.0	For me, it's more about keeping water in the house, using electricity and stuff to stay warm,
1:00.0	which is obviously contributed to my rise in energy costs. It's been quite difficult really.
1:07.0	There are a number of reasons for the current economic crisis.
1:11.0	The pandemic affected the global supply chain, increasing transport costs and shortages of everything
1:17.0	from fruit to carparts have now led to a spike in demand, which puts pressure on supplies.
1:24.0	The Russian invasion of Ukraine is also a big factor.
1:28.0	Russia is a major supplier of energy and sanctions against the country,
1:32.0	have reduced the supply of oil and gas and pushed up global energy prices.
1:37.0	Russia and Ukraine are also major suppliers of food and,
1:42.0	like several other countries around the world, they are keeping some of their supplies to ensure
1:47.0	they have enough at home and to keep their own prices under control.
	...

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