The Government has been slammed after a report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed Ireland will fail to meet its 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

The Green Party called on the Government to "get real" as Ireland is completely off target for its low carbon transition by 2050, set out in the Climate Change Act.

Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan TD said: "The Government's inaction on climate change and emissions reduction is laid bare by this EPA report. Emissions in all sectors of the economy are growing. The fact that will only achieve a 4-6% reduction instead of 20% is a national embarrassment.

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"We are one of only two countries in the EU that will miss our 2020 target. The Government has seen emissions reduction as a cost rather than an economic opportunity for Ireland. Transitioning to a Green economy is an economic opportunity that we are missing out on. Instead, the gulf between Government’s empty rhetoric and the actual situation will cost us dearly in our quality of life.

"The worrying thing is that the National Mitigation Plan, which is out for public consultation at the moment, is just more business as usual. We are on a continuous upward trajectory on emissions, when we really need to be going in the opposite direction."

(CD/MH)