How Ireland dealt with the oil and energy shocks of the 1970s

Analysis: the 1973 oil crisis pushed energy into the headlines and led to massive changes across society

While energy had been creeping up the agenda from the early 1970s in many countries, the 1973 oil shock thrust it into the headlines and speeches of politicians. In the US, a new Department of Energy was created, and the country’s president Richard Nixon announced Project Independence, with the aim to be self-sufficient in oil by 1985. Japan launched Project Sunshine to develop solar photovoltaic technology. In Paris, the International Energy Agency (IEA) was founded to co-ordinate the organisation of emergency oil storage for its OECD member countries and help countries gather quality statistics on their energy consumption.

The response to oil price increases and shortages in many countries was reduced demand. Some of the measues adoped included car free Sundays (Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland and Germany), exhortations to turn down the thermostat (US), fewer streetlights (Denmark) and a workplace dress-code of no tie and short sleeves to reduce the need for air-conditioning (Japan) were just some of the measures. Electricity companies, including the ESB, encouraged their customers to use less of their product.