Climate and transport organisations are calling on UK ministers to ban private jets and reduce motorway speed limits to 60 mph [1].
These measures aim to prevent a looming fuel-supply crisis triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The disruption to global oil and gas flows has created an immediate threat to aviation and transport stability in the United Kingdom.
Campaigners, including Greenpeace and Transport & Environment, said the government must act quickly to manage dwindling resources. The urgency follows reports that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has affected approximately 20% [3] of the world's oil and gas supply.
According to the head of the International Energy Agency, the UK may have only about six weeks [2] of jet fuel remaining. This shortage is a direct result of the ongoing Iran-US conflict, which has severely restricted the movement of fuel through critical maritime corridors.
To mitigate the impact, the groups proposed a nationwide reduction of motorway speed limits to 60 mph [1] to lower fuel consumption across the road network. They said that prioritizing essential travel over luxury private aviation is necessary to avoid a total collapse of fuel availability.
"We must not sleepwalk into a crisis," campaigners said [1].
The proposal to ban private jets targets the highest-emitting sector of aviation to preserve the remaining fuel for commercial and emergency flights. The groups said that these temporary restrictions could provide the necessary buffer while global supply chains are stabilized.
“We must not sleepwalk into a crisis.”
The push for emergency fuel rationing reflects the extreme vulnerability of the UK's energy security to geopolitical instability in the Middle East. By targeting private jets and vehicle speeds, campaigners are attempting to shift the burden of fuel scarcity onto luxury travel and high-speed commuting to protect critical infrastructure and commercial aviation.
