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Ireland’s Environment 2012
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Integration and enforcement.
Environmental considerations will
be at the heart of policy making
and decision making. Responsible
environmental behaviour will
be the norm across all sectors
of society, and those who flout
environmental laws will be held
to account.
The previous state of the environment
report (
Ireland’s Environment 2008
)
found that while Ireland’s environment
is generally of good quality, it is subject
to potentially damaging pressures
from a range of activities and sectors.
It identified four priority challenges
for the environment: limiting
and adapting to climate change;
reversing environmental degradation;
mainstreaming environmental
considerations; and complying
with environmental legislation and
agreements (Figure 1.1).
Progress towards these goals is
considered in subsequent chapters of
this report, and future challenges are
outlined in Section 3.
Socio-economic
Context
Pressure on the environment arises
from social and economic developments
that involve the exploitation of natural
resources and the generation of waste.
To reflect fully the DPSIR assessment
framework and to place the state of
the environment in context, this section
considers some recent socio-economic
trends that have a particular relevance
for the environment.
Population
The report of the latest census
(CSO, 2012) shows that the
population of Ireland reached over
4.5 million in 2011. This represents
an increase of 8.2% since 2006
(Table 1.1) and is the highest
population recorded since 1871.
Ireland had the highest increase in
population in the EU between 2000
and 2010, with a growth rate of
almost five times the EU average
(3.8%) over the 10-year period
(CSO, 2011a) (Figure 1.2).
Ireland remains relatively sparsely
populated compared to most other
European countries, with just over
60 persons per square kilometre
compared to an average figure of
116 persons in the European Union
(Eurostat, 2011). However, the
population in Ireland has become
increasingly urbanised over recent
decades, with consequent pressures
on the environment and on the
provision of environmental services.
Figure 1.1
Main Environmental Challenges
L i m i t i n g a n d Ad a p t i n g
t o C l i ma t e Ch a n g e
1. Mitigating the causes and effects of climate change
2. Adapting to climate change impacts
3. Improving our understanding of climate change
Comp l y i n g w i t h E n v i r o nme n t a l
L e g i s l a t i o n a n d Ag r e eme n t s
1. Building a culture of environmental compliance
2. Enforcement of legislation at national and local level
3. Meeting EU and other international obligations
R e v e r s i n g E n v i r o nme n t a l
D e g r a d a t i o n
1. Preventing eutrophication
and other water pollution
2. Protecting natural habitats
and species populations
3. Remediation of contaminated
land
Ma i n s t r e am i n g
E n v i r o nme n t a l Co n s i d e r a t i o n s
1. Incorporating environmental
considerations into policies
and plans
2. Ensuring environmentally
responsible businesses
3. Changing behaviours
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ENVIRONMENTAL
RESEARCH &
TECHNOLOGIES