Inside Christmas from 1973, American homes did not turn on their usual and high-pitched lights. Inside, the heating thermostats were unusually low, and cars were waiting in garages with empty fuel tanks. The new year welcomed them with long queues at gas stations and a rationing system that only allowed single or dual plate refueling. It was the first major energy crisis since World War II. yom kipur war and the Arab countries’ decision to turn off the black gold faucet.
Half a century later, the world trouble with EnergyIt was aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the decision to end Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. As all governments adopt austerity measures, following the model set by Brussels, the specter of consumption restrictions is lurking.
In Spain, the PP responded to the socialist government’s austerity measures by referring to “energy scorecards”, as the deputy minister for regional and local coordination pointed out. Pedro Rollan. And only fifteen days ago, Alberto Nuñez Feijoo “We must create an energy saving plan (…) reduce unnecessary consumption and agree with city councils on savings in nighttime electric lighting to prepare for power cuts or reductions.” Beyond the exaggerated rhetoric of the popular, history is on the other side of our borders, energy consumption rationed.
Oil embargo in the 1970s
In the United States, every president has his own war. and releasing Jimmy Carter In the late 1970s it was the enemy energy crisis. He delivered a speech from the Oval Office, where he wore a sweater that hinted at the lack of heating in the White House, describing the new oil crisis as “the moral equivalent of war.” sacrifices and the Americans suffered for almost the entire decade. Richard Nixon It faced fuel shortages by imposing rationing, where even coupons and cards were printed.
In October 1973, the Arab countries that were part of the Arab League, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) They placed embargoes on oil shipments to the West, especially to the United States and the Netherlands. It was the first of a series of energy crises that would hit the world’s leading power in the 1970s. In addition to gas stations and long lines of cars and trucks serving by appointment or only to regular customers, it was common to see ‘out of fuel’ signs along with other more distinctive and exemplary signs: “Slow down today or walk tomorrow” or “fuel scarcity will wake the world up.” The maximum speed was reduced to 55 miles per hour (88 km/h) and daylight saving time was introduced in the winter season.
this ration planIt resulted in the fueling of single-plate vehicles, which lasted until 1976, on odd days of the month, leaving the rest to even numbers. In some states, flags have been placed to warn of rationed or unrestricted fuel availability.
The Energy Conservation Office launched a campaign with the slogan. ‘Don’t be a fuel’ – word game between stupidstupid and liquid oilfuel—actors and athletes call for energy savings, and Congress enacted a program that includes helping to insulate homes more efficiently.
in Europe, The Netherlands bore the brunt of the embargo.. Living rooms set in the middle of four-lane highways were the hallmark of those years: ‘car-free Sundays’, a national measure to prevent driving on that day of the week, caused the Dutch to occupy the roads. dedicating them to every need. there was also car free markets in Belgium, Italy or Denmark. Sweden rationed gasoline and heating oil, and France lowered speed limits and cut television broadcasts at 11 am: it was the way to send the French to sleep.
In the UK, the oil crisis was accompanied by a miners’ strike, which aggravated fuel shortages. The most important measure was the ‘three-day week’. limited electricity consumption commercial and industrial buildings up to three consecutive days per week. In those days when the candles were flickering, more than 18 million gas ration cards were issued. As recorded in the UK’s National Archives, the Prime Minister vetoed the Queen. fuel shortage In the Christmas message.
The oil crisis was also felt in Spain. dark times of dictatorship. “Fuel consumption conditions,” as the BOE of the time pointed out, prompted Franco to limit the speed of passenger cars and set the Spanish clocks forward one hour. Decades later, history rhymes again: in February 2011, the Government Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero reduced the speed limit on highways and highways from 120 kilometers per hour to 110 kilometers per hour. Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba said that the measure was related to the increase in oil prices due to the Arab uprisings and that they aimed to “save gasoline” with it.
When nature brings crisis
this natural events they are also behind some recent energy shortages. The ‘el Niño’, a climate event that hit the Pacific in 1992, left a prominent place. drought in Colombia. For an energy sector in crisis, it was straw that broke the camel’s back. The government had to make daily power cuts between March 1992 and February 1993. Chileans also suffered from empty reservoirs in 1998 due to planned power outages despite government calls for energy conservation.
The drought also California In 2000 and 2001, it decided to impose Statewide cuts that were unable to meet an electricity demand triggered by air conditioners due to high temperatures. And JapanIn the wake of the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, Tokyo Electric Power Corporation announced an electricity rationing plan.
Strikes and shortcomings
Even before Russia invaded Ukraine, in late 2021 Britain faced closed gas stations and long fuel lines. Lack of carriers to supply service stations, highlighted by Brexitand the alarm produced caused the British to refuel.
This scene happened on the island in 2000, when truckers’ protests over fuel prices forced some supermarkets to ration food. France experienced a similar crisis and fuel shortage They also caused gas rations. In Portugal, another European country, a carrier strike in 2019 caused gasoline to be dosed.
Frequent power cuts
this 1980s Poland Since 1976 it has experienced a deep crisis in which essential products, as well as gasoline, are rationed. Some, such as coffee or tobacco, were rarely available. Long lines in establishments were the usual picture of a decade. martial law It ended with violent protests. The USSR tried to pressure the Polish authorities to suppress the revolts by cutting off their oil supplies. The situation lasted until 1989, when communism ended and economic transformation of the post-Soviet era.
But if there is one country where the energy crisis has been going on for decades, it is. Venezuelan. The drought caused by the ‘El Nino’ was also the spark that ignited the electricity generation gap in 2009. national report card, but it did not last long in Caracas, overwhelmed by protests. In the rest of the country, electricity was cut off for a few hours every three or four days. In 2011 power outages returned and Hugo Chavez ration resumed. Since then, and to this day, more or less Venezuelans continue to suffer from power outages.
In 2022 and on this side of the Atlantic, words that evoke dark times are echoing again. Europe has already launched its first energy-saving plan in its history, and the headline may hang on the posters of one of the ’70s gas stations in the United States: “Save gas for a safe winter”.