The need for an agricultural emissions cut of 30% by 2030 is "blindingly obvious", and the government must agree on that, Social Democrats climate spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore has said.

The Wicklow TD was speaking in response to a report released today, Thursday, July 21, by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which confirmed that Ireland's carbon emissions are rising instead of falling.

The report also showed that emissions from agriculture increased by 3% in 2021 compared to 2020, while overall emissions rose by 4.7%, despite a reduction target of 4.8%.

The EPA's findings must act as "a wakeup call for the government" according to the deputy who questioned what action they will now take. She said:

The carbon budget for the period 2021 to 2025 aimed for an annual emissions cut of 4.8% on average, with reductions ramping up to 8.3% annually in later years to 2030.

However, there is little prospect of these targets being achieved according to Deputy Whitmore, who stated that cuts to emissions will now have to be even deeper.

"Last year, our emissions rose by 4.7%, almost the exact the figure they were supposed to decrease by.

"The continued wrangling at the heart of the cabinet over the sectoral emissions target is just the latest evidence of that."

Deputy Whitmore has called on the government, who she said is "sleepwalking us into a disaster", to take action and outline what it will do to ensure that emissions begin to fall.

She added that industries right across the economy must make this transition and that they must be supported while doing so.