IEA emergency plan urges governments to promote remote work as oil prices spike

The International Energy Agency published its “Sheltering from Oil Shocks” emergency plan on March 20, calling on governments worldwide to encourage remote work as one of ten measures to cut oil demand by 2.7 million barrels per day. With Brent crude near $120 a barrel following Middle East supply disruptions, the IEA argues that increasing remote work by three days per week could reduce individual commuting fuel use by around 20%.

The plan also recommends reducing business air travel by up to 40%, lowering highway speed limits, and expanding public transport and car-sharing. For European policymakers already debating hybrid and remote work frameworks, the IEA’s intervention adds an energy security argument to the economic and wellbeing case for flexible working.

This is the first time since the early pandemic that a major international institution has explicitly recommended remote work as an emergency economic measure rather than simply a workplace preference. It may strengthen the hand of governments and employers resisting return-to-office mandates, particularly in countries where commuting distances and fuel costs are highest.