The Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) has warned that the very high dependence on fossil fuels in the transport sector makes Ireland extremely vulnerable to oil price shocks. In its annual review, published last week, the CCAC said that until Ireland reduces its dependency on fossil fuels, it risks repeated exposure to oil and gas price volatility of the kind seen in recent months. It recommended accelerated investment in public transport and the infrastructure needed to support a much greater transition to the use of electric vehicles, including a broader roll out of charging points.The CCAC review chimes with the latest progress report published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which found that Ireland was well behind on meeting its targets. The main reason is the heavy reliance on fossil fuels, particularly in the transport sector, responsible for over a fifth of Ireland’s CO2 emissions.Fewer than 10 per cent of cars on Irish roads are either fully electric or hybrid. The main impediments to a greater take up of EVs have been the lack of available charging points, particularly in rural areas, as well as the cost. The Government recently announced a €10 million scrappage scheme to encourage people to buy EVs. It is a pilot scheme and there is no doubt that it will have to be fine-tuned before it becomes fully operational, but it is a move in the right direction.Any time that there has been an oil shock in the past, it has caused significant shifts in consumer behaviour to lower carbon intensive activities. In the spirit of never letting a good crisis go to waste, the Government would be well advised to use the current period of oil price volatility to accelerate moves away from fossil fuel dependency.The transport sector and the pivot to EVs is an obvious starting point. However, unless the electricity used to power EVs comes from alternative sources, then the impact on cutting emissions will be limited. That is why a renewed focus on meeting the Government’s wind energy targets is vital.