<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs expansion . You can help by adding to it . (December 2015) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs expansion . You can help by adding to it . (December 2015) </Td> </Tr> <P> In response to the high oil prices of the 1970s, industrial nations took steps to reduce their dependence on OPEC oil . Electric utilities worldwide switched from oil to coal, natural gas, or nuclear power; national governments initiated multibillion - dollar research programs to develop alternatives to oil; and commercial exploration developed major non-OPEC oilfields in Siberia, Alaska, North Sea, and Gulf of Mexico . By 1986, daily worldwide demand for oil dropped by 5 million barrels, non-OPEC production rose by an even - larger amount, and OPEC's market share sank from 50% in 1979 to just 29% in 1985 . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section may stray from the topic of the article . Please help improve this section or discuss this issue on the talk page . (December 2015) </Td> </Tr> </Table>

How did american manufacturers handle rising oil prices during the late 1970s