‘We consider every mile we drive’: how fuel shortages are affecting readers worldwide

From a shop owner in India to a community worker in New South Wales, rising fuel prices are forcing people to ration oil usage Alagesan, 35, needs liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to run his roadside drink and snack shop in Coimbatore, India, but with the fuel shortage since the US-Israel attacks on Iran, he worries his business could fold. “I am far away from the Middle East, but my life is affected,” he said. “The gas cylinder is not available because of the war. I don’t know what to do.” With the strait of Hormuz – through which one-fifth of the world’s oil travels – nearly impassable, the price of oil has risen to about $100 (£52, A$143) a barrel on international markets. The cost of gasoline/petrol and other goods is also increasing, putting pressure on consumers and economies across the world. On Friday the International Energy Agency (IEA) issued a list of recommendations, including working from home where possible, reducing highway speed limits, a shift from using private cars to public transport, carpooling, switching to electric cooking where possible and avoiding air travel. The IEA’s executive director, Fatih Birol, said the war in the Middle East was cr