Tackling the oil shortage caused byRussian invasion of Ukraine limiting the way people use their cars and accelerating the transformation of cities. The IEA, the International Energy Agency, presented its yesterday recipe against expensive oilarguing that advanced economies could reduce their daily oil demand by 2.7 million barrels within four months. A move that would significantly ease the looming supply tensions, almost offsetting the loss of 3 million barrels per day of Russian production that the IEA expects for the month of April.
“As a result of Russia’s appalling aggression against Ukraine, the world could be confronted with hers biggest oil supply shock in decades, with huge implications for our economies and societies, ”IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said at a press conference with Barbara Pompili, France’s Ecological Transition Minister, who currently holds the presidency of the European Union . “IEA member countries have already taken action to support the global economy with an initial release of millions of barrels of emergency oil stocks, but we can also act on demand to avoid the risk of a crippling oil crisis,” said Birol. . Advanced economies account for nearly half of global oil demand. Many of them, including the largest energy consumers, are required, as members of the IEA, to have oil demand containment plans ready as part of their emergency response measures.
The Agency has thus drawn up a ten-point plan that aims to reduce the demand for oil and includes lower speed limits for cars, urging people to work from home, occasional limits on car access to centers urban, cheaper public transport and more.
The IEA emphasizes that in any case, reducing the demand for oil does not depend only on national governments. Many of the measures can be implemented directly by other levels of government – such as state, regional or local ones – or simply followed voluntarily by citizens and businesses, allowing them to save money while showing solidarity with the Ukrainian people. The IEA report notes that reducing oil consumption must not remain a temporary measure. Sustained reductions are important not only for improving countries’ energy security, but also for addressing climate change and reducing air pollution. Governments have all the necessary tools at their disposal to bring down demand for oil in the coming years, and the report defines the key ones to achieve this, including accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles, raising standards of fuel savings, the increase in alternative fuel supplies, the acceleration of the spread of heat pumps, and the production and consumption of plastics in a more sustainable way.
Here are the ten points of the plan
1) Reduce speed limits on motorways by at least 10 km / h
2) Work from home up to three days a week where possible
3) Car-free Sundays in the cities
4) Make the use of public transport cheaper and encourage micro-mobility, walking and cycling
5) Alternate the access of private cars to the roads of large cities
6) Increase car sharing and adopt practices to reduce fuel consumption
7) Promote efficient driving for transport trucks and freight delivery
8) Use high-speed and night trains instead of planes where possible
9) Avoid business air travel when alternative options exist
10) Strengthen the adoption of electric and more efficient vehicles
Measurements and their impacts
Looking only at the first two points, which are the most virtuous in terms of reducing oil consumption (0.4 million barrels each), one reduction of speed limits it can be implemented by national governments e many countries did so during the 1973 oil crisis, including the United States and several European countries. Today, many countries use temporary reductions in speed limits on motorways, mainly to reduce congestion and / or air pollution and to improve road safety. They are also frequently adopted within cities to combat local air pollution. Which impact from this measure? The IEA explains that around 290 kb / d of oil consumption can be saved in the short term through a speed limit reduction of just 10 km / h on auto motorways. If heavy trucks reduce their speed by 10 km / h, an additional 140 kb / d (mostly diesel) can be saved.
Another measure that can have great effects is a more massive recourse to smart working. Before the pandemic, the use of private vehicles to commute to work in advanced economies was responsible for approximately 2.7 million barrels of oil per day. However, about a third of jobs in advanced economies can be done from home, opening up the possibility of reducing oil demand while maintaining productivity. In the United States, the average one-way drive from home to work is about 18 kilometers, and more than three-quarters of commuters by car travel alone, according to the US Census Bureau. In Europe, the average one-way car journey is around 15 kilometers. There is also the seasonality effect to consider. When it’s warmer, air conditioning systems increase the amount of fuel used by cars. Therefore, working from home tends to save more oil during the summer months.
Working from home for up to three days a week would reduce oil demand and could cut fuel bills. UA day of work from home can avoid around 170 kb / d of oil consumption. Three days of work from home avoids about 500 kb / g in the short term.
