A new report published today reveals that the transport sector is now responsible for higher CO 2emissions than any other sector of the Irish economy.
Transport accounts for 33 per cent of Ireland's primary energy demand and consumes twice as much as industry. Energy use in transport was over 99 per cent dependent on oil products, all of which were imported.
The report, Energy in Transport Trends and Influencing Factors 2006- published today by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) - also found that CO 2emissions and fuel efficiency of new cars bought since the year 2000 have shown no improvement.
SEI chief executive David Taylor said: "While we have seen substantial growth in Ireland's energy use over the last decade, trends in transport are giving the greatest cause for concern.
"We have seen an increase in the number of cars on the road, an increase in household car usage and changes in the structure of the vehicle fleet in Ireland towards larger cars."
According to the SEI, there is now one car for every two adults in Ireland, an increase of 62 per cent since 1990. There are now 1.2 cars per household, compared to 0.8 in 1990.
Engine size in private cars is also on the rise with a 12 per cent increase in size over the last 15 years. The number of cars with 1.7- to 1.9-litre engines increased six-fold, and there was a three-fold increase in the number of cars with an engine size above 1.9 litres.
"The growth in oil dependence, green house gas emissions, and urban congestion need to be considered alongside safety in any vision of sustainable transport solutions for Ireland," Mr Taylor added.
"Positive action with regard to fuel switching, improvements in passenger mile fuel efficiency vehicle choice and usage patterns will need to accelerate if we are to move onto a sustainable path," he said.
The SEI report estimated that the total spent in 2005 on transport energy was €5.2 billion.