EPA - Ireland's Environment 2016

Ireland’s Environment – An Assessment 2016

Kelly at the Clean Air Conference in Dublin in September

2015, should help to improve air quality for all citizens.

However, continued use of peat and wood will contribute

to air pollution in residential areas. EPA funded research

being undertaken by a UCC led group (SAPPHIRE)

aims to deliver detailed information on the chemical

composition and sources of airborne particulate matter in

rural and urban residential areas of Ireland so as to assist

appropriate health focused policy interventions.

Road Transport

While exhaust emission limits become stricter, this is

offset by increases in the numbers of cars

New EU emissions standards for vehicles, cleaner

technology, and a reduction in the number of vehicles

using the roads as a result of the economic downturn led

to a decrease in NO

in our urban centres. However, this is

unlikely to continue into the future. Economic recovery will

most likely lead to an increase in NO

levels. The failure of

real-world emissions of NO

Euro 5 class vehicles to meet

the standards set for them has had a disproportionate

impact on ambient air (EEA, 2015). Euro 5 class vehicles

showed a reduction in NO

emissions in laboratory tests;

however, these reductions were not observed in real-

world driving. As a result, projections of NO

emission

reductions did not come true and an increase in vehicle

numbers actually led to increasing NO

levels across

Europe. Ongoing non-compliance with NO

ceiling levels

is a concern and needs to be addressed. The actions set

out in the Department of Transport’s

Smarter Travel –

A Sustainable Transport Future

should be implemented

to improve air quality. These include actions to reduce

travel demand, increase alternatives to the private car and

improve the efficiency of motorised transport. Enhanced

incentives to encourage vehicle owners to switch to

electric options should also be encouraged.

www.ucc.ie/en/crac/research/sapphire/

http://www.smartertravel.ie

Shipping

Loading and unloading activities at ports can have

considerable localised impact on emissions of

particulate matter

As an island nation, Ireland is heavily dependent on

shipping for the import and export of goods. Sulphur

dioxide is a pollutant that is closely linked to shipping. As

the economy continues to recover, activity in this sector is

likely to increase. In-port activities associated with loading

and unloading can also have a considerable local and

regional impact on emissions of particulate matter. The

2012 revision of the Directive on the sulphur content of

liquid fuels (SI No. 273 of 2014), which ensures that liquid

oils and gas oils have a maximum sulphur content of

1% and 0.1% respectively, has had a positive impact on

observed SO

levels.

Transboundary Air Pollution

Relative to other EU countries, Ireland rarely

experiences transboundary air pollution impacts

Although Ireland’s prevailing wind direction is from the

south-west, bringing in a cleaner North Atlantic air mass,

occasionally transboundary air pollution from continental

Europe (and, more rarely, pollution from volcanic eruptions

in Iceland) and beyond arrives. Springtime transboundary

events bringing elevated particulate matter associated with

Saharan dust have been a feature. There has also been

a number of short-term air pollution episodes associated

with European generated ozone, particulate matter and

. These are likely to continue into the future. With

regard to ozone and NO

, a pan-European approach

is required to tackle the problem. Recent research has

suggested that a portion of the ‘Saharan’ dust may in fact

be due to transboundary ammonia induced particulate

matter (Vieno

et al

., 2016). The European Commission has

made a start in this regard by agreeing the “EU Clean Air

Policy Package”, the main components of which are:

A Clean Air Programme for Europe, describing the problem

and setting out new interim objectives for reducing health

and environmental impacts up to 2030. It also defines the

necessary emission reduction for the key pollutants and

the policy agenda that will be necessary to achieve these

objectives

A revised NEC Directive, containing updated national

ceilings (caps) for six key air pollutants (PM, SO

, NO

VOCs, NH

and CH

(methane) for 2020 and 2030

A new Directive for Medium-sized Combustion Plants

between 1 and 50 MWth

A ratification proposal for the amended Gothenburg

Protocol under the 1979 UNECE Convention on Long-

range Transboundary Air Pollution.