The current gas price shock (and any future ones) raises the question: if we had invested more in renewables, efficiency, buildings renovation, and green gases, would we be actually saving money instead of losing it? Looking at the EU, Dolf Gielen, Michael Taylor and Barbara Jinks at IRENA urge governments to do something they’ve not done before and factor in the negative impacts of volatile fossil fuel prices. Moreover, they should calculate the true price of gas and coal by including their health and environmental costs. The authors summarise the current gas and coal prices alongside those of renewables as well as the “too expensive” green gases (biogas, biomethane, green hydrogen). Given today’s high gas prices, significant volumes of biomethane and green hydrogen would be economic now, until prices subside. But by 2030, at scale, they should be competitive against even stable gas prices. Revealing the true cost of fossil fuels is long overdue, say the authors. Done properly it will open our eyes to the benefits and savings of accelerating the transition. So the current crisis is a wake-up call to get future-proofing our economies against fossil fuel volatility and all its costs.