The European Union’s energy commissioner is calling on the bloc’s residents to drive less, work from home and implement other measures to reduce demand for oil and gas as the Iran war strains energy supplies.
The EU is calling on its member states to implement the International Energy Agency’s 10-point plan to reduce global oil demand, Dan Jørgensen, EU energy commissioner, said during a press conference on Tuesday.
“Since the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East, prices in the EU have increased by around 70 percent for gas and 60 percent for oil,” he said.
“We should have no illusions that the consequences of this crisis for energy markets will be short-lived, because they will not be,” he added.
Jørgensen listed some of the 10 measures that the IEA, of which Canada is also a member, asks its members to implement.
On the one hand, the IEA recommendations ask people to “work from home wherever possible.”
Member States are also asked to “reduce speed limits on motorways by at least 10 km/h”.
This measure dates back to the 1973 oil price crisis, when the United States imposed a national speed limit of 89 km/h (55 mph) on all highways in 1974, a limit that was not lifted until 1995.
Driving The higher the speed, the more gasoline is burned.while driving slower consumes less.
IEA member states are asked to encourage public transport, alternative access of private vehicles to big city roads on different days, increase car sharing and adopt efficient driving practices.
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The IEA also calls for switching to “modern cooking solutions”, such as electric cooking, to reduce dependence on gas for cooking.
The recommendations cannot be “one size fits all,” Jørgensen said, adding that the EU does not “expect all member states to implement all 10 demand reduction tools.”
“But it is a very good toolbox and we strongly recommend that each country analyze the possibilities it has,” he added.
The EU needs to “avoid fragmented national responses”, he said, pushing for a coordinated approach.
The energy-saving measures would not be short-term, he said, adding that energy infrastructure near the Persian Gulf was “ruined” by the Iran war.
“Even if peace is here tomorrow, we will not return to normal in the foreseeable future,” he said.
In Canada, the British Columbia General Employees Union is calling on the province to “allow provincially regulated employees, where possible, to work from home full-time” as the crisis in Iran continues.
“The rising price of gas places an undue burden on workers across the province,” said BCGEU President Paul Finch.
“The provincial government has an opportunity to help alleviate that burden by allowing workers the flexibility to work from home. In addition to easing the pain workers feel at the pump, this measure would help reduce emissions and congestion,” he added.
How Asian countries are responding
Earlier this month, several Asian nations that rely heavily on imported energy implemented energy-saving measures when their oil and gas supplies were hit, driving up costs.
In Thailand, the order for civil servants to work from home for the foreseeable future came with another request: the Thai prime minister also ordered measures that included suspending foreign travel and using stairs instead of elevators.
Pakistan has imposed a four-day work week, work-from-home measures for much of its public service and ordered all universities to hold classes online, citing “conservation of resources.”
Vietnam’s government has asked private companies to consider allowing their employees to work from home, while India has asked liquefied petroleum gas consumers to avoid panic buying.
Sri Lanka introduced fuel rationing on Sunday to prolong the life of its supplies. Under the new system, motorcycles will be allocated five liters of fuel per week, cars 15 liters and buses 60 liters.
The island nation has secured fuel shipments until the end of April, officials at the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation told reporters in Colombo, adding that police will be deployed to reduce queues and minimize hoarding.
– With files from Reuters
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