Monthly Action - May 2026 - Economic Consequences of the Iran War
Take action to support communities hit by the economic consequences of the Iran War, by speeding the transition to 100% clean renewable energy.
Economic Consequences of the Iran war
Our last Arise monthly action focused on the Iran War and called for peace, democracy and human rights in Iran and across the Middle East. This month we return to the tense situation in Iran with an action focused on the economic consequences of the conflict around the world. The volatility and uncertainty of the initial conflict, the fragile uncertainty of the ceasefire, the stumbling nature of the negotiations, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran and the counter blockade by the US have all driven up oil prices around the world, sometimes by as much as 50%. The price of oil going up puts up the prices of everything, everywhere, as the whole global economy is still so dependent on it. As ever, this is felt worst and hardest by the poorest, most vulnerable people, countries and communities. People like Adegbola Isaac, a taxi driver in Lagos. The Associated Press reports that the price of fuel there has increased by 35%, wiping out most of his business. “It is hitting hard”, he says.[1]
Energy Security
The crisis has intensified debates in many nations about energy independence and being less reliant on international markets. In the UK this has re-opened pressure to extract more oil from the North Sea. However, this is a phony argument for many reasons. Oil reserves in the North Sea are significantly depleted. Some 45 billion barrels worth were extracted since the 1970s. There are only about 10 – 15 billion left, and most of those are in harder to reach, more expensive areas. If we started drilling now it would take up to 10 years for those fields to come on stream, and even when they did, oil prices are set globally, not nationally. The US currently gets none of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz, but prices have gone up in the US too, just as they have elsewhere. New North Sea Oil would make no difference to household energy bills or inflation in the economy. Our latest Arise blog, which accompanies this action, goes into a lot more detail explaining why Drilling in the North Sea is still a bad idea.
Shifting to Clean Energy
Instead, the lesson of the current crisis for us all should be yet another reason why we need to rapidly speed up the transition out of fossil fuels entirely to 100% clean renewable energy. We know we need to do this anyway or face catastrophic climate change which has already led to heatwaves, droughts, floods, cyclones, wildfires, landslides, more intense storms, massive polar melting, the melting of the world’s glaciers, sea-level rise, the devastation of coral systems, mass food and fresh water shortages, ill health, huge negative economic impacts, conflicts over scarce resources, the creation of huge numbers of climate refugees, and much more.
Furthermore, the UK generally is richly blessed with renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and tidal power. The efficiency and capability of renewable technology is progressing at a huge rate. The UK really could be energy independent through renewable energy through a much shorter time period. This would be better for the planet and all of us. It would also be vastly cheaper, as much as two or three times cheaper than oil driven energy prices. It would be better for the UK economy and security. It would also mean less funds going to support repressive oil exporting regimes like Iran and Russia. It’s a win-win-win-win-win!
A shift to a thriving sustainable economy powered by clean renewable energy is a major ask as part of Arise’s 4 Shifts Campaign. We are calling for a shift in our UK and global economy to 100% clean renewable energy, which does not lead to climate change, and is cheaper as well. As Christians we are called to take action to care for God’s creation, as he instructed us in Genesis 2: 15 to work his creation and “take care of it”. We are also called to ensure our economy works for all in our society and none are left behind or exploited. We are told in Proverbs 29: 7, “The righteous care about justice for the poor”. This transition to clean renewable energy is a big part of outworking both of these callings.
The UK government is already committed to transition our energy grid to 100% renewable energy by 2030. They need to hold to that in the face of pressure and go further still beyond just the energy grid. Also, historically energy prices at the UK are set at the flat rate of the most expensive type of energy to produce. This means when the oil price goes up we all pay more on our energy bills, even if we are getting our energy from much cheaper renewable sources like wind and solar. Thus, clean renewable energy is effectively subsidising polluting fossil fuel energy. The government recently announced steps to break the link. These need to be followed through properly and made sure they work effectively, to ensure people feel the benefits of cheaper, cleaner renewable energy today.
Will you take action this month as part of Arise’s 4 Shifts campaign to speed the transition to clean renewable energy and support communities around the world feeling the impact of raised oil prices?
Take action
Pray
Pray for a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, in the UK and around the world, towards clean renewable energy. Pray that this will make energy cleaner, cheaper and more secure for everyone, everywhere. Keep praying too for a real lasting peace to the conflict in Iran, Lebanon and across the Middle East. Pray for a dramatic reform and change in the government in Iran, to install proper democracy, respect human rights and freedoms, stop supporting extremist groups across the region and stop the development of nuclear weapons. Pray for the gradual and safe de-escalating and eventually decommissioning of all nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in other nations too.
Act
Write to your MP in your own words, and ask them to …
- Urge the government to stick to its plans to transition to 100% renewable energy in our electricity grid by 2030.
- Urge them to go further and extend that to all other forms of energy use (transport, building heating, industry etc.) by 2030 and to ban the use of fossil fuel energy where cheap renewable alternatives are available.
- Ensure the policy to break the link between oil prices and the price UK consumers pay for renewable energy is fully and successfully implemented, to enable British citizens to feel the benefits of cheaper, cleaner renewable energy today.
- Extend these commitments beyond just the UK, to every other nation too, by calling for them to be integrated into a strengthened version of the global Paris Agreement on climate change.
Find your MP and their contact details here.
Write to them at …
(name) MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
Give
Give to great Christian organisations like A Rocha, Cafod, Christian Aid and Tearfund who are doing amazing work on the transition to clean renewable energy. Also consider giving to Christian organisations like CAP or the Trussell Trust who are already doing great work supporting those struggling with the cost of living in the UK.
Find out more
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Join a local Arise group in your church or area – It’s great to take this action as individual Christians, but even better to come together with others to pray, discuss, worship, learn, have fun and take action together. Contact Arise if you are interested.
Latest news – Updates on previous campaigns and latest news from the Arise movement.
Arise Manifesto – Find out more about this month’s action in the Arise Manifesto, Arise’s big picture, researched, Biblical, holistic and practical vision for a better world.
[1] Africa is hurting again from a global crisis it had no part in starting, (AP, 28 Mar 2026), https://apnews.com/article/africa-iran-war-economic-impact-aad28b599c8367a77458167842d53b47?.com