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Ireland’s Environment – An Assessment 2016
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Environment and Wellbeing
Our environment has a strong influence on human
health and wellbeing.
“We benefit much more from
clean air, pure water, good
food and exercise and strong
communities than we do from
hospitals, medicines and clinics.”
Professor Martin Cormican, NUI Galway
Often the terms “green spaces” and “blue spaces” are used
to describe those parts of our environment that include the
natural and semi-natural features. “Green spaces” include
farmlands, parks and forests. “Blue spaces” include rivers,
canals, lakes and coastlines. As in any system, in order
for these spaces to provide a full range of benefits they
must be carefully managed so that they are functioning
well. For people to want to spend time in green and blue
spaces, three factors must be present: they need to be
safe, attractive and accessible. Accessibility is key: it can be
achieved through developing guided trails and other facilities
and by making arrangements to ensure that everybody can
meaningfully interact with green and blue spaces, regardless
of mobility or other constraints. It is important to note that
once accessed, support may be needed to foster beneficial
use of the green and blue spaces.
In addition to the beneficial effects of being active in these
spaces, scientists have also linked exposure to nature to
benefits in coping with mental stress and fatigue. It has been
shown that the very act of getting out in nature – whether
in a park, on a beach or walking on a road – can bring real
benefits to our mental wellbeing. The concept of “green
and blue prescriptions” is now being explored as a tool to
improve community health and wellbeing. Green and blue
prescriptions constitute formal written advice from a health
professional to spend time in the natural environment.
During 2012, a trial of so-called “green prescriptions” was
conducted and found to reduce obesity and to improve
physical and mental health in nine trial groups across rural
and urban communities around Donegal. Along with the
measurable outcomes, such as positive impacts on blood
pressure, the participants reported that engagement with
nature was also associated with an improvement in mental
wellbeing; this was reflected in statements such as “it’s very
good … to clear the mind” (HSE, 2014).
With over two-thirds of Ireland’s population living in cities
and suburbs, the inclusion of green and blue space in
planning and management of urban development is crucially
important in terms of delivering residential areas that provide
a good quality of life for our population. Equally, for rural
dwellers, safe walking routes and agreed access to parkland,
rivers, lakes and upland areas must be provided.
Sustainable Living
Our sustainable future sets out challenges and how
we might address them to ensure that our quality
of life and general wellbeing can be improved and
sustained in the decades to come.
Most of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals agreed by
the United Nations are clearly relevant to improving human
health, reflecting a strong relationship between good health
and sustainable living. Ireland’s own national strategy for
sustainability, Our Sustainable Future (Irl Gov, 2012), sets
out sustainability challenges and how we might address
them in order to ensure that our quality of life and general
wellbeing can be improved and sustained in the decades
to come. We do not live in isolation: all of us are part of a
community, whether we choose to engage or not. It is in
our nature to commune with each other, and we have a
long history of successful public volunteerism – the bedrock
of any community. In general, communities are built around
residential, urban, rural, parish, business, educational,
spiritual, sporting, artistic or social activities. A vibrant,
inclusive and engaged community yields better health and
environmental outcomes for all the residents, businesses,
schools, etc. within it, i.e. outcomes are more sustainable.
Sustainability in local communities is a key objective of the
recently introduced Public Participation Networks (PPNs),
which aims to enhance public engagement in decision
making and policymaking. PPNs are now established in every
county and city across Ireland, based on three “pillars”:
environment, social inclusion, and community and voluntary.
The pattern of our daily lives at work and at home is
largely controlled by the location of our daily activities,
and this collectively shapes our urban environment and its
relationship with the countryside. Through the strategic
spatial organisation of these activities, our lifestyles can
be healthier in terms of our personal wellbeing and also
in terms of demands on resources and our environmental
footprint. The Regional and County Development Plan
system is the mechanism by which local authorities set
out policies and site-specific land use objectives so as to
direct development in a sustainable manner. The social
and personal impact of a “loss of enjoyment of amenity”,
be it physical loss or through nuisance from odour and
noise, can often be overlooked when trying to identify
the major impacts from a development on a community.
Although difficult to quantify, the loss of such amenities
will undoubtedly result in deterioration in quality of life
for a community. Appropriate regulation through land
use planning and activity enforcement can mitigate this
potential quality of life impact.