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Ireland’s Environment 2012
138
Under the EU CAFE Directive, Ireland
requires a reduction in levels of
particulate matter (PM
2.5
) by 10%
between 2012 and 2020 and a
national plan is required to achieve
this. This reduction is challenging, as
it will require an integrated approach
across a number of sectors including
industrial, transport and residential
emissions.
The strategies implemented to
achieve compliance with the EU
National Emissions Ceilings Directive
have successfully controlled emissions
of sulphur dioxide, ammonia
and volatile organic compounds.
Emissions of all three are expected to
remain below the prescribed ceilings.
However, levels of NO
X
are expected
to remain above Ireland’s national
emission ceiling in the short term,
due to sustained emissions from road
transport.
For Ireland to comply with its
international commitments on air
quality and air emissions, industrial
emissions of pollutants to air must
continue to be rigorously controlled;
policies implemented to increase the
use of alternatives to the private car
and improve efficiencies of motorised
transport; and Government
departments, national agencies
and local authorities must make
air quality an integral part of their
traffic management and planning
processes.
Protected Water
Resources
In comparison with other EU
Member States, Ireland has better
than average water quality. The
principal and most widespread
cause of water pollution in Ireland is
nutrient enrichment resulting in the
eutrophication of rivers, lakes and
tidal waters from agricultural run-off
and discharges from municipal waste
water treatment plants. Following
the enactment of the Waste Water
Discharge Regulations 2007, the EPA
set up a licensing and certification
regime for municipal waste water
discharges, to reduce the pollution
of waters from these sources. On
the agricultural side, implementation
of the Good Agricultural Practices
Regulations and, in particular, the
increase in farm storage for manure
and slurry, and the reduced usage
of inorganic fertilisers have had
beneficial effects.
While there is evidence of an overall
improvement in water quality, Ireland
faces major challenges to achieve
water quality targets set for 2015,
2021 and 2027 as required by the
Water Framework Directive (WFD).
A recent key development has been
the publication of the River Basin
Management Plans, including the
setting of objectives for waterbodies
and the selection of Programmes of
Measures to meet the objectives of
the WFD. However, it is also clear
that the current governance and
administrative arrangements for
water management are not optimal
or configured to ensure the delivery
of WFD objectives in an efficient and
effective manner. A review of water
governance is currently underway to
deliver more effective integration of
roles and policies between the key
government departments, the EPA
and the lead local authorities.
Ensuring that Ireland’s water
resources are of good quality is
vital for public health, the agri-food
industry, tourism, and for inward
investment. There is a particular
challenge ahead to deliver the
production increases planned under
the
Food Harvest 2020
strategy
in a manner that allows Ireland to
meet its international obligations in
relation to water.
Protected Soil and
Biodiversity
The incentive to protect biodiversity
does not simply arise from goodwill
towards the natural world but also
from the realisation that nature is a
tangible, and quantifiable, asset to
society. A high level of biodiversity
ensures that we are supplied with
‘ecosystem services’ such as food
production, air purification, fisheries,
and nutrient cycling that are essential