Ireland overshoots greenhouse gas limits by 10m tonnes

The 10m-tonne overshoot on Ireland's maximum emissions limit of 295m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent is also equivalent to the yearly pollution from 4.5m to 7m cars. Stock picture

Ireland has overshot its greenhouse gas limits this year by more than 10 times the annual emissions from a city like Cork.

Ireland’s carbon budgets, which allocate emissions ceilings to the likes of motorists, households, farmers, businesses, and industry in five-year cycles, aimed to reduce emissions by 4.8% a year from 2021 to 2025 under the first block, while the 2026-2030 budget will increase that annual reduction target to 8.3%.