Since the Middle East war, the Korea government has been implementing an energy-saving policy that enforces alternate-day driving restrictions for vehicles in the public institutional sector and encourages the public to use mass transit.
However, in developing countries with limited fiscal capacity, officials are said to be pushing even tougher energy-saving measures to withstand the current crisis. Some have lowered top speeds on expressways and made public transportation free, and there are even cases of banning air conditioner use at public institutions.
◇ Pakistan: "expressway speed limits," Philippines: "free bus service"
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA)'s "2026 energy crisis policy response tracking report" on the 19th, one of the most widely implemented emergency energy-saving measures by governments is restricting car use and expanding the use of public transportation.
Pakistan lowered the maximum expressway speed for passenger cars from 120 km/h to 100 km/h, and for buses and freight trucks from 110 km/h to 90 km/h. On national highways, the limits were reduced from 100 km/h to 80 km/h and from 80 km/h to 65 km/h, respectively. Because air resistance increases with speed and leads to higher fuel consumption, speed limits help save fuel.
Lithuania cut regional train fares by 50% for two months, and the Philippines is operating free buses for students and workers in some cities. Pakistan also temporarily made public transportation free. Bangladesh and Vietnam are encouraging the use of public transportation and carpooling (sharing rides to work).
Some countries are restricting energy use in the public sector. Jordan is reported to have banned air conditioner use in public institutions and restricted the operation of government vehicles after the Middle East crisis. Pakistan reduced the number of office days for civil servants from five days a week to four and required half of work to be done from home.
Measures to scale back the operation of education and public facilities also followed. Bangladesh temporarily suspended operations at public and private universities, and Laos reduced the number of school days from five to three per week. Peru switched school classes online. Sri Lanka closed schools and universities every Wednesday. Egypt limited nighttime electricity use at schools in the administrative capital.
◇ "Beyond short-term demand suppression, create systems that reward saving"
These unusual and stringent measures have been most pronounced in developing countries with high dependence on energy imports and limited fiscal capacity.
Advanced economies, by contrast, chose approaches that use incentives. Australia carried out a campaign to encourage citizens to voluntarily save fuel, and Spain promoted the use of clean energy by offering income tax deductions for dwelling renovations and solar installations.
Experts advise pursuing both short-term demand suppression and long-term incentive policies. Heo Eun-nyoung, a professor at Seoul National University's Department of Energy Systems Engineering, said, "Measures like top speed limits or making public transportation free can be effective in the short term, but they are less sustainable," and added, "In the long run, the system should shift to rewarding people and corporations that use energy-saving products."