Basic HTML Version
Ireland’s Environment 2012
100
Introduction
This chapter examines the
interaction between economic
activity, society and the environment
and provides an integrated
assessment of environmental
quality, policies and initiatives.
The environment doesn’t exist in
isolation; it both affects and is
affected by many aspects of our
lives. Environmental resources
and ecosystem services are direct
inputs into the economy. For
example, clean water, air, soil, and
vibrant biodiversity all contribute
to a successful economy. While
economic growth often receives
political prioritisation, it goes hand
in hand with social cohesion and
environmental protection to deliver
a high quality of life for citizens.
The establishment of a sustainable
pattern of development for Ireland
is one of the key challenges of
government and ultimately for
society (DECLG, 2011). There is
also a clear consensus at European
and national levels that existing
patterns of economic development
must become more sustainable. The
vision for the European economy is
that by 2050 it will be competitive,
inclusive and provide a high
standard of living with much lower
environmental impacts; that all
resources are sustainably managed,
while biodiversity and the ecosystem
services it underpins will be protected
and restored (EC, 2011a).
To help bring about this vision,
resource efficiency has become one
of the top environmental priorities
and is one of the seven flagship
initiatives within the Europe 2020
Strategy. The move to a resource-
efficient EU economy fits within
the context of worldwide efforts
to achieve a transition to a green
economy (OECD, 2011; UNEP, 2011).
Resource Efficiency
and the Green
Economy
In the EU today each person
consumes 16 tonnes of materials
annually, of which 6 tonnes is
wasted, with half going to landfill
(EC, 2011a). Globally over the 20th
century, fossil fuel use increased by
a factor of 12, while the extraction
of material resources increased by
a factor of 34. These are among
the abundant examples of a
profligate use of resources and an
unsustainable growth path for both
the economy and society. Continuing
resource use at existing levels is not
sustainable and will act as a barrier
to future economic growth (OECD,
2011).
The European policy response is its
roadmap to make Europe a resource-
efficient economy (EC, 2011a). This
flagship initiative aims at creating
a framework for policies to support
the shift towards a resource-efficient
and low-carbon economy to:
n
boost economic performance
while reducing resource use
n
identify and create new
opportunities for economic
growth and greater
innovation and boost
the EU’s competitiveness
n
ensure security of supply
of essential resources
n
fight against climate change
and limit the environmental
impacts of resource use.
The European Commission notes
that to achieve a resource-efficient
Europe, there is a need to make a
transition in the energy, industrial,
agricultural and transport systems, as
well as making changes in behaviour
as producers and consumers.
Embracing resource efficiency offers
a path to job creation and economic
growth. The challenge is to utilise
resources in a sustainable manner
throughout their life-cycle, avoiding
over-exploitation and reducing the
environmental and social impacts of
their use. The European roadmap for
resource efficiency is also linked with
a world-wide effort to promote the
concept of ‘green growth’ and the
‘green economy’. This roadmap will
be one of the key drivers for advancing
the green economy agenda in the
coming years. The EEA (2012a) defined
the ‘green’ economy as one that
establishes policies and innovations
to enable society to use resources
efficiently and enhance human
wellbeing, while maintaining the
natural systems that sustain us. At a
basic level, the green economy is a
clean energy economy, consisting
primarily of four areas: renewable
energy; green building and energy
efficiency technology; energy-efficient
infrastructure and transportation; and
waste management (Chapple, 2008).
But the green economy is not just about
the ability to produce clean energy; it
also includes technologies and activities
that allow cleaner production and
commercial processes that contribute
to lowering of greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions and improving resource
usage (DJEI, 2012).
The OECD (2011) has published
a green growth strategy, which
provides a framework for countries
to achieve economic growth and
development while preventing
costly environmental degradation
and the inefficient use of natural
resources. Measures that are
required for a transition to a green
economy include a regulatory and
policy framework that is adaptive,
supportive and incentivises shifts
away from traditional economic
models. These include the wider
introduction of user-charges and
environmental taxes. User-charges
for environmental resources should
reflect the environmental cost and
thereby incentivise use-efficiency. A
shift to environmental taxes would
enable the tax base to shift towards
environmental pollutants and
consumption and away from labour
and production.