Policy reactions so far to the oil crisis

Shaiel Ben-Ephraim documents the various policies which a variety of countries have brought in to try and mitigate the Iran-conflict-driven oil crisis.

1. The Philippines declared a national energy emergency. Government offices have shifted to a four-day work week, and agencies must cut fuel and electricity use by 10–20%.
2. Sri Lanka instituted a weekly public holiday for public officials and schools. It has also revived a QR code-based fuel rationing system that limits private cars to 25 liters of petrol per week.
3. Pakistan closed schools for two weeks and cut free fuel allocations for government vehicles by 50%. It also hiked high-octane fuel prices by 60%.
4. Bangladesh, shut down universities and colleges and implemented five-hour rolling blackouts for households to prioritize the garment export sector.
5. South Korea launched a nationwide energy-saving campaign and released a record 22.46 million barrels of strategic oil reserves. It also temporarily lifted limits on burning coal.
6. Thailand ordered civil servants to work from home, set office air conditioning to 26–27°C, and halted petroleum exports to preserve domestic stock.
7. Japan and announced its largest-ever release of strategic oil reserves, approximately 45 days' worth, to stabilize local markets.
8. Egypt ordered early closures for malls, restaurants, and government offices while switching off illuminated billboards.
9. Myanmar introduced an “odd-even” rationing system where private vehicles can only purchase fuel on alternating days based on their license plate numbers.
10. Nepal is a state-run oil corporation has begun rationing cooking gas by filling cylinders to only half their normal capacity (7.1 kg) and is urging a nationwide switch to induction cookers.
11. India has invoked emergency powers to divert liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) away from industrial users to prioritize household cooking needs.
12. Slovenia became the first EU member to implement fuel rationing, limiting private drivers to 50 liters of petrol per week and businesses to 200 liters.
13. Bhutan has officially banned the sale of fuel in jerry cans to prevent hoarding and has established strict rationing priorities for emergency services.
14. Vietnam is accelerating a transition to ethanol-blended gasoline ahead of schedule to reduce its reliance on pure fossil fuel imports.
15. South Sudan has begun rationing electricity in its capital, Juba, due to the high cost of oil used for power generation.
16. Laos has made working from home mandatory for all non-essential civil servants and introduced rotational shifts to reduce commuting demand.

The one potential silver lining from this insane and probably illegal conflict is if it forces the world to have less reliance on oil and other fossil fuels. Perhaps shortages and price shocks will be a more effective incentive than, you know, literally saving the planet and all its human inhabitants was proving to be.

But in the mean time a lot of people, especially those more vulnerable to begin with, are now and will increasingly suffer from its consequences.