President Carter called this issue "the moral equivalent of war." To what issue was Carter referring?

In a 1977 speech addressing the United States, President Carter compared the ongoing energy crisis to a war, calling it 'the moral equivalent of war'. The ongoing energy crisis was causing stagnant economic growth and price inflation. Carter presented a plan for reducing the effect of the crisis, consisting of 10 principles. This speech would become famous for his use of the phrase 'moral equivalent of war' and is often referenced.