Overall quality of Ireland’s environment is ‘not what it should be’ – EPA

The overall quality of Ireland’s environment is “not what it should be” and the outlook is “not optimistic”, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Today (Wednesday, November 25), the EPA launched its seventh State of the Environment Report.

‘Ireland’s Environment: An Integrated Assessment 2020’ reveals that “enduring and systemic challenges” are putting pressure on the environment and remain to be solved.

These cut across different environmental topics, such as: climate; air; soil; water; biodiversity; and waste, and across organisations and sectors, business and all levels of society.

A key message from the report is that the “absence of an overarching national environmental policy position is negatively impacting on success across multiple environment-related plans and policies: The sum of the parts does not make up a coherent whole”. 

EPA director general Laura Burke said that environmental issues and challenges such as climate change, air quality, water quality and biodiversity cannot be looked at in isolation.

“They are complex, interconnected and need to be tackled in an integrated way,” she said.

“Now is the time for an overarching environmental policy position for Ireland – to be clear on our ambition to protect Ireland’s environment in the short, medium and long-term and on our commitment to live up to the image of a clean, green island.

We need to see a decade of action in the 2020s. A policy position would provide a national vision that all government departments, agencies, businesses, communities and individuals can sign up to, to play their part in protecting our environment.

In addition to such a policy position, the report also calls for “better implementation and delivery of existing legislation and policies”.

“Many plans and programmes are already in place which, if fully implemented, would go a long way towards resolving persistent environmental issues. Full implementation of, and compliance with, legislation is a must to protect the environment.”

According to the EPA, it shows that the longer we delay, the more difficult it will become to turn things around to meet our obligations.

“It is more than meeting targets, the real goal for Ireland in the face of climate disruption is to have a resilient and stable society and economy, one that is carbon neutral through its own efforts and natural attributes.”

Nature under unprecedented pressure

The report has also found that nature and wild places in Ireland are under unprecedented pressure and need to be better safeguarded, both locally and in protected areas.

“Our action to protect nature needs to be more ambitious. We need to identify the pathway to transformative change for nature protection in Ireland and reverse wider current trends in biodiversity and habitat loss.”

The EPA report highlights people’s greater awareness about the positive benefits of a clean environment for health and wellbeing. The Covid-19 crisis has shown people the “importance of the natural environment in their local areas”.

Dr. Micheal Lehane, director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Assessment, said:

“Ireland is already losing much of what is important in its environment. Unspoilt areas are being squeezed out and we are losing our pristine waters and the habitats that provide vital spaces for biodiversity.

Now, more than ever, Ireland’s green and blue spaces, which include urban parks, coasts, lakes, rivers, forest and bogs, are essential components of our health infrastructure.

“These allow people to get out in nature and away from everyday stresses, to the benefit of health and wellbeing and they need to be clean and protected. An investment in the environment is also an investment in our health.”