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Environmental Challenges and Priorities
145
Conclusion and
Future Challenges
Building a Sustainable Ireland
The environment is a strategic
and valuable asset for Ireland and
as such it must be protected and
proactively managed to ensure it
forms the basis of Ireland’s economic
well-being and a healthy society.
The overall finding of
Ireland’s
Environment 2012: An Assessment
is that Ireland’s environment remains
in a good condition, although there
are a number of areas of concern,
and Ireland faces a number of key
challenges in the coming years.
The current recession has meant
that levels of emissions and waste
generation rates have paused and
in some cases reduced. However,
care must be taken not to interpret
recession-induced reductions as a
sign that environmental pressures
are being managed. What is required
is that, as Ireland’s economy and
key sectors develop and recover,
they do so in a sustainable way –
decoupling economic growth from
environmental pressures. This means
ensuring that the natural resources
and environmental conditions that
are fundamental to the economic
and social well-being of Ireland’s
future generations are protected and
are not degraded or exhausted. In
this context,
Ireland’s Environment
2012: An Assessment
has identified
four key environmental challenges
for Ireland as illustrated in Figure
10.2 and outlined below:
Challenge 1: Valuing and
Protecting our Natural
Environment
The environment is our life support
system, with clean air and safe
water being some of our most basic
human needs. As the source of our
food, abundant biodiversity and
healthy, functioning soils are other
aspects of our natural environment
that are essential to humanity. The
monetary value of the environment
is significant and while the immense
worth of ecosystem services to
Ireland has been quantified, it is
not always appreciated. Other
‘values’ are more fundamental and
concern the pleasure inherent in
experiencing nature in all its forms,
from the solitude of wilderness walks
to families enjoying a busy day at a
clean beach. More recently, evidence
is being gathered on the tangible
Figure 10.2
Main Environmental Challenges
Putting the
environment
at the centre of
our decision
making
Implementing
environmental
legislation
Building a
resource-efficient
low-carbon
economy
Sustainable
Ireland
Valuing
and protecting
our natural
environment