EPA - Ireland's Environment 2016 - An Assessment

30 / 234

not been exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution
throughout their lives. It should also not be forgotten that
air pollution has significant impacts on ecosystems and
buildings (EEA, 2014).
EU Directives on Air Quality
Co-ordination of air pollution monitoring required to
protect health
In order to protect our health, vegetation and ecosystems, EU
directives have set air quality standards for a wide variety of
pollutants. The current standards are contained in the Directive
on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe (the CAFE
Directive 2008/50/EC; and the fourth Daughter Directive
2004/107/EC).4 These directives also include rules on how
Member States should monitor, assess and manage ambient
air quality. The EPA, as the national competent authority
for Ireland, is tasked with co-ordinating and managing
this monitoring programme. A nationwide network of 31
monitoring stations measures levels of air pollutants in each
zone; the majority of these deliver information in real time to
the public.5 The EPA is currently in the process of developing
a new National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme,
which will be built on three key pillars:
n national monitoring network;
n modelling and forecasting;
n citizen science/citizen engagement.
The EPA is recommending that the new programme will
involve a greatly expanded national monitoring network
providing enhanced real-time information to the public
and supplemented by an increased local authority capacity
to conduct indicative monitoring. The network can be
supported and enhanced by increased modelling and
forecasting capability, with the aim of providing an ongoing
air quality forecast model to the public. Supporting both
of these elements will be citizen science initiatives to
encourage greater engagement of the public in air quality
issues. These changes should greatly improve our national
capacity for air quality and public health protection.
Ireland currently participates in an international network
of carbon monitoring stations, the International Carbon
Observation System (ICOS), with a purpose of improving
knowledge of GHG in our atmosphere and harmonising
the science6, and also participates in the European
Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP)7 for
international co-operation to solve transboundary air
pollution problems. The national ICOS and EMEP stations
are located at Malin Head, Donegal; Mace Head, Galway;
Oak Park, Carlow; and Carnsore Point, Wexford.
4
5
6
7
Transboundary Air Emissions
Air pollution has no borders
Air pollution can be transboundary. Pollution that
originates in one country can impact negatively on
a neighbouring country. Monitoring at national and
international EMEP 6 sites indicates a number of important
pathways for transboundary pollution to reach Ireland,
e.g from the UK, Europe, North America and from marine
sources. Transboundary air pollution is associated with
health impacts from fine particulate matter, acidification,
eutrophication and ozone formation, which damages
ecosystems, vegetation and human health.
The landmark agreements that was intended to control
emissions of transboundary pollutants was the 1999
UNECE 8 Gothenburg Protocol under the Convention on
Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP), was
given effect in the EU by the National Emission Ceilings
(NEC) Directive 2001/81/EC9.
The NEC Directive sets upper limits, or “ceilings”, for national
emissions from each EU Member State. The pollutants include
sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) and ammonia (NH3) – which were
considered the four key transboundary pollutants.
The amended Gothenburg Protocol now includes targets
for 2020 and the NEC Directive will include targets for
2030. Both the Gothenburg Protocol 2020 and the NEC
Directive 2030 include ceilings for PM2.5 emissions for the
first time given the recognition of the health impacts and
transboundary nature of fine particulate matter.
8 UNECE is the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, which
was established in 1947 and tasked with promoting pan-European
economic integration.
9
Ireland’s Environment – An Assessment 2016 26