Ireland is set to breach its binding greenhouse gas limits in 2016 or 2017 after a surge in emissions across all the main sectors last year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The agency says that transport emissions are exhibiting a worrying trend and that more needs to be done to break the link between economic growth and increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
Ireland is spewing 113 tonnes of greenhouses gases into the atmosphere, every minute, every day.
That works at almost 60 million tonnes every year.
If you could see that gas, and contain it, it would fill 1.74 million buildings the size of liberty hall, SIPTU's iconic headquarter building in the heart of Dublin City.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Ireland is now way off target.
Greenhouse gas emissions in the country grew by 3.7% last year as the economy recovered.
Electricity companies jacked up the amount of coal they were using because it was cheap.
Households used significantly more oil for heating, also because it was cheap.
In addition, a surge in diesel passenger cars combined with far busier roads put transport emissions onto what the EPA called a worrying trend.
The agency says Ireland is now on course to breach binding emissions targets, possibly this year, but almost certainly by next year.
EPA Director General Laura Burke issued a word of warning:
"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."
She added that the EPA's most recent greenhouse gas emission projections published in March projected that Ireland would not meet its 2020 target, with emission reductions likely to be in the range of 6-11% below 2005 levels.
"The greenhouse gas emission increases for 2015 in this report, suggest that achieving reductions, even at the lower end of that range, will be difficult."
The Energy Industries, Transport and Agriculture sectors now account for almost 73% of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions, the report found.
Agriculture is still the single largest contributor to the overall emissions at 33% of the total.
Transport and energy industries are the second and third largest contributors, at 19.8% and 19.7% respectively.
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