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2026 Energy Crisis Policy Response Tracker
Explore government actions to conserve energy and support consumers in response to the energy market impacts of the conflict in the Middle East
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How governments can best support consumers during this energy crisis
…economic activity more broadly. In response, many governments have announced emergency measures to protect consumers from higher energy costs. The IEA has supported these efforts by launching its largest-ever release of emergency oil stocks, publishing a menu of demand-side measures that governments, businesses and households can take to shelter consumers from price pressures, and tracking the actions being taken through its new Energy Crisis Policy Response Tracker.So far, governments have supported consumers in two ways: through direct price relief, such as fuel price caps or tax cuts, and through demand-side measures aimed at reducing energy use. Designing these measures…
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7 certainties about energy for this age of uncertainty
ED commentary The energy sector, like many others, is contending with a blizzard of uncertainties, complicating the work of policymakers, business leaders and investors.Geopolitical twists and turns are straining long-established relationships and upending deeply held assumptions. The World Uncertainty Index, devised by economists from the IMF and Stanford University, has hit unprecedented levels in recent months.But in this time of flux, there are still some important trends that we can identify with some confidence. Here are seven that can help us keep our bearings: The world has entered the age of electricity Oil and gas will still…
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Energy crisis threatens world’s most vulnerable as cooking fuel shortages grow
…Previous energy crises affected economies and societies in profound ways, often forcing households to ration fuel for their cars and heating for their homes. The 2026 crisis is being felt across the globe – and households in emerging and developing economies are now facing a particularly severe challenge: whether there is enough fuel simply to cook a meal, and whether they can still afford it.At the centre of this sits liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the world's most widely used cooking fuel. Around 3.4 billion people across the developing world use LPG as their primary source of energy for…
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Tracking Energy Crisis Policy Responses
…consumers from high energy prices. To support these actions, the IEA published a report, Sheltering from Oil Shocks, with a menu of 10 demand-side options for governments, households and businesses that could help to quickly save fuel. The IEA has also been closely monitoring the actions taken by countries around the world through a new 2026 Energy Crisis Policy Response Tracker, which highlights measures from nearly 80 countries to reduce demand for oil and other fuels, protect consumers from high energy prices, and enhance long-term resilience.During this webinar, IEA experts will present key findings from the Tracker –…
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Bioenergy
…to invest in direct production and related assets.
Bioenergy – including liquid, gaseous and solid fuels – accounts for the vast majority (95%) of renewable fuel growth to 2030. New demand for bioenergy is set to expand the most in the industrial sector, followed by transport and buildings, though the type of bioenergy differs by sector. Modern bioenergy is less expensive than hydrogen and e-fuels, and strong policy support is already in place in many countries and regions. For instance, more than 60 countries have liquid biofuel policies, whereas only the European Union and the United Kingdom have e-fuel requirements.
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How accelerating electrification could strengthen energy security in Southeast Asia
…supply disruptions. The current energy crisis linked to the Middle East conflict has underscored these vulnerabilities. Ahead of the crisis, around 60% of crude oil imports and a third of natural gas imports in the region came from the Middle East. And based on current policy settings, this dependence is set to increase: by 2035, the region, which today exports small volumes of natural gas, is projected to rely on imports for one-third of its natural gas demand. For oil, imports are projected to account for around 80% of demand by 2035 based on current policy settings. Electrification can…
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Japan
…safety. Achieving the aim of carbon-neutrality by 2050 will require substantially accelerating the deployment of low-carbon technologies by 2030, to address regulatory and institutional barriers and further enhance competition in energy markets. It will also be important to develop different decarbonisation scenarios and to prepare for the possibility that certain low-carbon technologies, such as nuclear, might not expand as quickly as hoped. Stronger reliance on market-based instruments, such as carbon pricing, could be one policy option for Japan to cost-effectively reduce emissions, foster innovation and further increase the country’s high level of energy efficiency.
- Overview
- Energy mix
- Emissions
- Electricity
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+ 5 pages
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Chile
…years. In response to changes in the domestic and international environment, significant institutional and policy reforms as well as major infrastructure projects have been carried out. In 2022, Chile’s Ministry of Energy published an update to its the Long-Term Energy Policy (PELP, first published in 2015), which re-emphasises the pledge to net-zero, laying out a clear decarbonisation pathway that addresses all sectors of the national economy.
Based on its excellent renewable energy resources, Chile has taken a globally leading role in clean energy, and emerged as a world-class destination for solar and wind energy developers…- Overview
- Energy mix
- Emissions
- Electricity
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+ 5 pages
![Chile Flag]()
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South Africa
…richest 20% of the population accounting for more than half of the total. In recent polling conducted by the Department of Energy, three-quarters of South Africans stated that the priority for government energy policy should be to keep electricity prices low: economic considerations outweighed other priorities by a considerable margin. Regarding the future fuel mix, nearly a third of respondents agreed with the statement: “it does not matter which source, as long as it is the cheapest”. But a quarter of respondents explicitly supported renewable energy sources, with a further 14% placing emphasis on sources that are not damaging…
- Overview
- Energy mix
- Emissions
- Electricity
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+ 5 pages
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