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Ireland’s Environment 2012
110
sustainability is interwoven with
economic and financial (exchequer)
sustainability. In the first year of
the new emissions-based taxation
system, average emissions of new
cars fell by 13%, due to a significant
switch to diesel cars, and estimated
total emissions declined by 5.9 kt
CO
2
(Rogan et al., 2011). This was
a significant policy success and
the consumer trend since then is
towards emissions-efficient cars. The
re-adjustment of tax band rates in
Budget 2012 continues the incentive
towards more emissions-efficient
cars while maintaining Exchequer
revenues.
Reducing reliance on the private
car is a difficult policy target,
particularly in a low-density,
dispersed population such as
Ireland’s. Integrating spatial planning
and transport investment is one
of the most effective means of
controlling emissions from road
transport and reducing reliance
on car use. A significant legacy of
Ireland’s rapidly growing economy
in recent years has, however, been
urban sprawl and low-density
development, which has ‘locked
in’ unsustainable travel patterns.
Countering these established travel
patterns and providing attractive
and cost-effective public transport
alternatives now presents a serious
challenge given the limited public
finances for investment in transport
infrastructure.
Research suggests that two
overriding issues are important in
developing policies to reduce reliance
on private cars. First, there is a
strong persistence in car ownership
in Ireland (Nolan, 2010), making the
policy challenge to switch transport
modes one not just of providing
transport alternatives but also of
aggressively tackling entrenched
behaviours. The second issue is
journey time (with the associated
issue of frequency of service). While
many factors are important, journey
time is a particularly important
factor influencing choice of mode
of transport to work (Commins and
Nolan, 2010). The policy challenge
to switch transport modes is not
just one of providing transport
alternatives but of providing
attractive alternatives.
Sustainable
Agriculture
In Ireland, the agri-food sector’s
contribution to the economy is large,
generating an annual output of over
€24 billion (DaFF, 2010). Government
policy envisages the sector
expanding, supplying foodstuffs to
the world’s growing population, as
outlined in the sector’s development
strategy,
Food Harvest 2020
. The
main goals of the strategy are as
follows:
n
Increase the value of primary
output in the agriculture, fisheries
and forestry sector by €1.5 billion
(a 33% increase compared to the
2007–2009 average)
n
Increase the value added in the
agri-food, fisheries and wood
products sector by €3 billion
(a 40% increase compared
to 2008)
n
Achieve an export target
of €12 billion for the sector
(a 42% increase compared
to the 2007–2009 average).
The strategy recognises that
agriculture, fisheries and forestry
activities can negatively impact on
water, soil and air quality and on
biodiversity. It stresses that meeting
the ambitious growth targets for the
agriculture sector will mean meeting
these environmental challenges
as well as reducing the carbon
intensity of Irish agriculture.
Food
Harvest 2020
explicitly recognises
that environmental sustainability
is an essential requirement for the
food production systems of the 21st
century and that there are significant
marketing and trading advantages as
a result of Ireland’s ‘green’ image.