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Environment and the Economy
101
At a national level, the transition
to a green economy is already
Government policy (Department of
the Taoiseach, 2008, 2010). A central
plank of Ireland’s economic recovery
is the development of a green
economy that recognises:
n
the opportunities for investment
and employment creation in
sectors such as renewable energy,
energy efficiency and waste and
water management
n
that a sustainable approach
to economic development
complements the core strength
of our economy in the use
of natural resources in the
agriculture, forestry, fisheries,
tourism and energy sectors.
The draft Framework for
Sustainable Development for
Ireland (DECLG, 2011) provides
a means for advancing the green
economy agenda in Ireland,
taking account of the three pillars
of sustainable development –
economic, environmental and
social. The Framework contains a
range of measures to address the
key challenges and priorities that
will deliver change, and support
the delivery of a broad sustainable
development agenda. In relation to
resource efficiency and the green
economy, these measures include
the following:
n
Establishing an effective
framework for transition to an
innovative, low-carbon and
resource-efficient society
n
Identifying and adopting policies
that can help achieve a shift
towards greener growth
n
Protecting and restoring our
biodiversity and ecosystems
so that benefits essential for
all sectors of society will be
delivered.
The Action Plan for Jobs (DJEI, 2012)
underpins the need to develop
the green economy in Ireland. It
found that a range of drivers (such
as increasing fossil fuel prices,
renewable energy targets, emissions
reductions targets, environmental
legislation and consumer
preferences) are creating significant
opportunities for growth and jobs
in green sectors. It estimates that in
2010, 19,000 people were employed
directly in Ireland in key sub-sectors
of the green economy and that
through the adoption of appropriate
policies, up to 10,000 additional
jobs could be created by 2015. The
longer-term job creation potential
is even more significant, particularly
in the area of renewable energy.
Ireland has a number of strengths that
it can leverage to create employment
and growth opportunities both for
indigenous companies and for
foreign investment in Ireland. These
include the following (DJEI, 2012):
n
Excellent renewable energy
resources, which raise the
prospect of Ireland becoming
an exporter of clean energy to
Europe
n
A strong R&D base, including in
the area of ICT, which is highly
relevant to a number of green
economy opportunities
n
Strengths as a location to test and
develop new technologies – in
terms of both existing test-bed
sites and taking advantage of
Ireland’s small size where new
technologies can be tested for
application to larger markets
n
An outstanding natural
environment and landscape to
support ‘green’ tourism and
activities
n
An established international
image as the ‘Emerald Isle’ that
can be built upon to promote
Ireland’s ‘green’ offering.
The Action Plan sets as a key priority
the publication and implementation
of a new cross-Government plan
for the green economy addressing
the enterprise, energy, environment,
transport, tourism and agri-food
sectors. It also identifies a range
of other actions, for example in
relation to green public procurement;
targeting FDI opportunities in the
green economy; developing a
brand to communicate Ireland’s
reputation for green goods and
services; attracting a new range of
‘green’-related financial products
and services to Ireland; focusing
public investment in research and
development in areas of direct
relevance to the green economy;
and developing niche markets
in green tourism and food, by
promoting standards such as the
EPA Green Hospitality Award.
Public authorities are major
consumers, spending approximately
€14 billion annually. Ireland’s public