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Ireland’s Environment 2012
142
the EU), many national governments
and by important elements of the
scientific community, that research
has an essential role to play in
helping to overcome these problems,
by providing the intellectual
foundations, analytical tools and
empirical evidence upon which to
build a more sustainable future.
The recent review of national
research priorities led by Forfás
recognised that research plays
an important role in meeting
policy objectives at minimum
cost (Forfás, 2012). This exercise
highlighted ‘Climate Change and
Related Environmental Issues’ and
‘Environmental Health’ as two
areas with strong policy-research
needs. With specific regard to the
EU-level policy processes that are
so important in environmental
protection, the report noted that
high quality research directly informs
Ireland’s negotiating position with
regard to shaping and implementing
new obligations and regulations.
Emerging Issues
Emerging environmental issues are
those issues that may be of concern
in the future but where their full
implications have not yet been
generally recognised or understood.
Fracking
The exploitation of shale gas using
hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ has
increased dramatically in the United
States over the past twenty years and
by 2010 dry shale gas production
had risen to 23% of total dry gas
production (US Energy Information
Administration, 2011). There is
increasing interest in the technique
in other areas of the world and it is
believed that, at least in the short
term, shale gas could potentially
have a strong impact on global
energy markets.
However, this rapidly growing
industry has attracted many critics
because of the potential risks of
new seismic activity and potential
contamination of groundwater
with methane or fracking fluids.
The increased demand for water
and the disposal options for the
recovered fracking fluids as well
as the overall carbon footprint of
the fracking operation are also the
object of increased debate. The
environmental risks of fracking are
not fully understood and research is
ongoing to bridge this knowledge
gap. The relevant public bodies
in Ireland, including DCENR, the
EPA, the Commission for Energy
Regulation and An Bord Pleanála, as
well as authorities in Northern Ireland
are co-operating with a view to
sharing knowledge and co-ordinating
regulatory approaches.
Legacy of the Celtic Tiger
The Celtic Tiger years saw huge
changes across Ireland. In some cases
the changes can be expected to have
enduring environmental benefits
including extensive upgrading of
Ireland’s wastewater treatment plants
and investment in public transport
such as Dublin’s LUAS tram network.
In the backdrop of a strong growth
in economic activity, many aspects
of environmental performance
improved, such as a dramatic
increase in waste recycling rates and
improved wastewater treatment,
while GDP growth decoupled
somewhat from environmental
indicators.
However, there is also a negative
environmental legacy to the Celtic
Tiger years. Widespread development
of one-off housing poses risks to
water quality while incomplete
housing projects (ghost estates) and
over-zoning of land for development
pose significant land-use challenges
that will require resolution and
remediation in some cases. A
significant legacy has been urban
sprawl and low-density development
outside of towns and cities. In many
cases this has led to unsustainable
travel patterns and long journeys for
those travelling to work or school,
with the Central Statistics Office
reporting that the average commute
to work in Ireland is over 18km
(CSO, 2011). Countering these travel
patterns and providing attractive
and cost-effective public transport
alternatives now presents a serious