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Ireland’s Environment 2012
136
Introduction
Ireland’s environment is a key
strategic resource and asset and it
must be protected and managed to
ensure that it continues to be the
basis for our health, our wellbeing
and a sustainable economy. Through
regular State of the Environment
reporting, the EPA provides evidence-
based assessments of the quality of
Ireland’s environment and identifies
current and future pressures.
This most recent assessment has
confirmed that although there are
certainly issues of concern, Ireland’s
environment is of a generally high
standard.
In 2007, the EPA set out a vision for
Ireland’s environment to the year
2020 and identified six key goals for
environmental protection which are
shown in Figure 10.1 (EPA, 2007)
below. This chapter reviews the
condition of Ireland’s environment
with respect to these goals as well
as identifying a number of emerging
environmental issues. It also
examines how Ireland needs to adapt
to a different development path, one
that is sustainable and low-carbon,
to address the key environmental
challenges facing the country.
Figure 10.1
Environmental Goals for Ireland