Contrary to the controversial climate goals, Poland’s Prime Minister vowed Thursday to support higher production at the nation’s coal mines in order to bring down heating and energy prices that have soared amid the war in neighbouring Ukraine and the European Union’s efforts to reduce its dependency on Russian energy sources.

However, the pledge that Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki made in parliament goes against Poland’s climate change obligations and the gradual steps it is taking to reduce the production and use of coal in order to fight global warming.

But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and EU bans on some Russian energy sources have led to sudden shortages of coal and accelerated the rise of fuel prices. Governments across Europe are looking for other sources of fuel and energy.

The cost of coal has gone up 100% in Poland in the past 12 months, leading to widespread anxiety because one in every three households here is heated by coal. Overall, Poland relies on coal for almost 70% of its energy needs, a far higher percentage than any other of the EU’s 27 nations.

“We will introduce a program of increased coal extraction in Poland’s collieries,” Morawiecki said.

The Polish government’s aim is to reduce the fossil fuel’s prices ahead of the next heating season to the level they “were at before the sudden rise that was linked to the embargo on Russia. We will do this,” Morawiecki said.

In fact, energy prices in Europe had been rising months before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Poland said in the first four month of 2022, some 19 million tons of coal were produced in Poland’s mines, which was some 155,000 tons more than at the same time last year.

Poland insists that it’s departure from coal, of which it has rich deposits, must be slower than for other European countries because it has not yet developed enough renewable energy sources. Coal mining is also a big employment industry in Poland

The average cost of filling up a typical family car has exceeded 100 pounds ($125) for the first time in Britain, as Russia’s war in Ukraine drives gasoline prices higher.

Figures from data firm Experian Catalist showed that the average price of a liter of gas at U.K. pumps hit a record 182.3 pence ($2.3) on Wednesday, taking the average cost of filling a 55-liter (14.5-U.S. gallon) family car to 100.27 pounds. The prices are the equivalent of about $8.8 per gallon.

Motoring association AA said the price hikes have been a “huge shock” for drivers and urged the government to intervene.

“Enough is enough. The government must act urgently to reduce the record fuel prices which are crippling the lives of those on lower incomes, rural areas and businesses,” AA President Edmund King said.

“The 100-pound tank is not sustainable with the general cost-of-living crisis, so the underlying issues need to be addressed urgently,” King said.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to concern about oil and gas supplies and worsened soaring energy prices, trickling down to customers filling up at the pump. High gasoline prices have hit people across Europe and in the United States, prompting governments to pass measures to try to ease the pain.

The British government in March announced a fuel tax cut of 5 pence per liter to help drivers after record jumps in pump prices.

Many motorists argue the tax cut reduced the cost of filling up a car by only a tiny amount. There are also growing concerns that fuel retailers are not passing on the tax cut to customers.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is facing heavy pressure to do more to help Britons struggling with fuel and food prices and domestic energy bills amid a severe cost-of-living crisis.

Johnson’s spokesman said Wednesday that soaring fuel prices were “hugely concerning,” and the government wants to make sure companies are passing the tax cut on to consumers.

“It is important the public understand what actions each of the fuel retailers are taking, and so we are considering what further options we can take in this area,” he said.

The average price that Americans pay for a gallon of gasoline is closing in on $5, another drain on the wallets of consumers who are paying more for many other essentials too.

Pump prices have been rising steadily for months, shooting past the $4 mark in early March. They track the cost of crude oil, which was rising even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drove oil even higher.

AAA said the nationwide average for regular on Thursday was $4.97 a gallon, up a quarter in just the last week and $1.90 more than drivers were paying a year ago.

GasBuddy, a service that helps drivers find deals on gas, said the average surpassed $5 for the first time ever. Fears of short supplies are being compounded by demand, which usually picks up around Memorial Day — the unofficial start of summer and vacation trips in the U.S.

California has the highest average price, at $6.40 a gallon, according to AAA. Several other Western states and Illinois are higher than $5.50.  The lowest average is in Georgia, at $4.41.

While the $5 mark is new, Americans paid more for gasoline back in July 2008, when inflation is considered. The high of $4.11 a gallon then would be equal to about $5.40 a gallon today.

Americans aren’t the only ones paying more to fill up. This week, gasoline prices in the United Kingdom hit a record 182.3 pence ($2.30) per liter, or about $8.80 per gallon.

On both sides of the Atlantic, pressure is growing on governments to do something to help motorists.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD said Wednesday Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Energy and food crises it worsened will severely drag down global economic growth and push up inflation this year,

China’s “zero-COVID” policies, which have further scrambled manufacturing supply chains, also are weighing on a world economy that was just starting to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Paris-based OECD said, becoming the latest institution to slash its growth forecast and underscoring the dimming economic outlook.

The OECD, a club of largely wealthy nations, expects the global economy to expand 3% in 2022, down from the 4.5% that it predicted in December.

Inflation is forecast at nearly 9% for the OECD’s 38 member countries, which include the United States, United Kingdom and many European nations, nearly double the previous estimate.

The World Bank, the United Nations, and the International Monetary Fund have made similar downgrades to their economic forecasts recently.

“Russia’s war is indeed imposing a heavy price on the global economy,” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said at a press conference in Paris. He urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop this atrocious, senseless war now.”

The organization released its forecast as it gears up for a two-day annual meeting starting Thursday, attended by government ministers and featuring video remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The OECD warned that the economic turmoil will hit the poor the hardest. The war is disrupting supplies of food staples like wheat and energy, of which Russia and Ukraine are major global suppliers, fanning inflation that eats away at disposable income and living standards, it said.

The war is hurting economic growth in European nations the most because they are more exposed to the war through trade and energy links. But the OECD also raised the alarm about poor countries farther afield facing food shortages.