Ban private jets and cut speed limits to avert UK fuel crisis, say campaigners | Environment policy

Private jets should be banned and the speed limit on Britain’s motorways reduced to 60mph as part of a preventative effort to ease the looming fuel supply crisis, according to leading transport and climate organisations.

The group – including Greenpeace and Transport and Environment – is calling on ministers not to “slide into a crisis” which could lead to serious jet fuel shortages and soaring petrol prices at the pump in the coming months.

Instead, they call on ministers to prepare now by reducing oil demand in a fair and orderly way.

Doug Parr, chief scientist at Greenpeace UK, said: “Measures such as lowering speed limits and banning private jets and short-haul flights would cause minimal inconvenience now and avoid much more painful decisions later. By getting ahead of the problem, ministers can not only soften the blow to UK drivers and passengers, but they can also reduce climate emissions and put fairness at the heart of this response to the crisis.”

Green Party leader Zack Polanski backed the idea of ​​banning private jets, saying many British families looked forward to their foreign holidays all year but were now facing canceled flights and ruined holidays because of “Trump’s illegal war in Iran”.

He said: “While ordinary people pay the price, the very rich simply board their private jets at will – wasting huge amounts of jet fuel on unnecessary travel. The Government should act now: put in place a temporary ban on non-essential private jet travel to save the summer holidays of families who have worked hard to save.”

The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, warned this year that the US-led war in Iran would have an impact similar to the combined effect of the twin oil shocks of the 1970s and the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Countries around the world have already been hit by rising fuel prices and analysts warn the UK is particularly exposed to jet fuel shortages, with a real risk of rationing as supplies fall to “extremely low levels” just ahead of a busy summer holiday period.

Many governments have already introduced measures to deal with the crisis, ranging from fuel rationing to limiting car travel, reducing fuel taxes and doubling renewable energy. Pakistan has reduced the speed limit on highways and the Laos government is asking people to work from home.

The intervention from Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Transport and Environment, Safe and Possible Landing includes calls for a tax on ultra-frequent travelers and short-haul flights that can be covered by train in less than six hours.

Analysis by Greenpeace shows that, combined with the ban on private jets, these three measures could save almost a million tonnes of jet fuel per year, or 8% of the UK’s annual consumption.

Separate analysis by the climate group found that a 10mph reduction in the speed limit on UK motorways could save almost half a million tonnes of fuel, or 1.5% of UK road transport fuel consumption.

Anna Krajinska, Britain’s director of transport and environment, said the measures were necessary to “protect our transport system from these unreliable and geopolitically exposed energy sources”.

She said the crisis revealed a “hard truth”: “the UK remains dangerously dependent on volatile fossil fuels”. “The long-term solution is clear: the UK must accelerate the transition to new technologies, from electric vehicles to zero-emission aviation. Breaking away from fossil fuels will not only reduce emissions, it will deliver a more resilient, safer and more prosperous future.”

A UK government spokesperson said: “UK airlines are clear that they are not currently experiencing shortages of jet fuel or road fuel. We know people value their hard-earned holidays, particularly as summer approaches, and we are working closely with the industry to keep flights operational and help airlines plan ahead.

“While we do not plan to change speed limits on highways and private aviation represents only a small proportion of total fuel consumption, our contingency plans include all fuel prioritization options if necessary.”