By 2020 Ireland is expected to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by only 4 to 6 per cent from 2025 levels. It has a 20 per cent target

Ireland is unlikely to avoid having to pay multimillion-euro fines for missing emissions targets, the Environmental Protection Agency has warned.

Emissions from the agriculture and transport sectors are increasing at a rapid pace, the watchdog said yesterday. It forecasted that by 2020 the country would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by only 4 to 6 per cent from 2005 levels, despite a 20 per cent target it is legally bound to achieve.

Environmentalists and opposition parties condemned the government yesterday for failing to act and said that the country was “doomed” to face hundreds of millions of euros in sanctions.

The EPA report divided the findings down into two categories: “with existing measures” and “with additional measures,” which are projected based on the implementation of preventative