With global oil supply under pressure from the U.S.-Iran war, governments may need to bring back tools many assume belong to the past: rationing and price controls.
Some countries are already moving in that direction. The Philippines has declared a national emergency in response to energy supply risks, while South Sudan has begun rationing electricity in its capital, Juba, and Mauritius has imposed restrictions aimed at reducing consumption and limiting waste.
These developments echo historical precedents. My research, recently published in Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, draws on the case of British clothing rationing during the Second World War to show that when essential goods become scarce, governments cannot rely on price alone to manage the crisis.
