Ireland is set to breach its Greenhouse Gas Emissions limit in 2016 or 2017, according to a new report from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA).

The organisation has revealed total national emissions were 59.84 MtCO2eq in 2015, 3.7% higher than in 2014. In addition, the Agency said that Ireland had not yet "achieved a decoupling of economic growth from emissions".

The Energy Industries, Transport and Agriculture sectors account for almost 73% of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions, with Agriculture contributing 33% of the total.

Laura Burke, EPA Director General, said: "Ireland is not currently on the right track to meet its 2020 targets, nor is it on the right emissions trajectory to meet future EU targets or our national 2050 decarbonisation goals."

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The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten, said: "I am fully aware of the challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with our 2020 and other international commitments and these latest EPA projections reinforce the extent of that challenge.

"Nonetheless, I am satisfied that the national legislative and policy framework is in place, via the 2014 National Policy Position on Climate Action and through the 2015 climate legislation, to advance actions on climate change mitigation.

"Under the 2015 Act, I intend to make a draft National Mitigation Plan (NMP) available for public consultation by the end of the year followed by submission of a final plan to Government for approval by June 2017.

"Importantly, the preparation of the NMP is statutorily designed to be a whole-of-Government approach to tackle greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, Ministers with responsibility for the largest emitting sectors namely, agriculture, transport, electricity and the built environment, have been requested by Government to develop mitigation measures for inclusion in the National Plan."

(LM/MH)