EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Chapter 10: Environment and Industry Emissions to Air from Industrial Facilities Emissions to air from licensed facilities, including power stations, represent a significant proportion of Ireland’s emissions to air of greenhouse gas and other air pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Industrial pollutant releases to air include releases of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, and acidifying pollutants such as sulphur oxides. Also included are pollutants that can have impacts on human and environmental health, such as nitrogen oxides, particulate matter (in this case, particulate matter of 10 microns or less in diameter, PM 10 ) and heavy metals including, in particular, cadmium, lead and mercury. Releases of these pollutants to air can affect ambient air quality. Local air quality is, however, also determined by how these pollutants disperse in the atmosphere. Emissions to air from licensed sites come mainly from the energy and mineral sectors (cement) and represent a significant proportion of Ireland’s emissions to air: 30 per cent of greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide and methane), 45 per cent of sulphur dioxide, 15 per cent of nitrogen oxides and 15 per cent of PM 2.5 (EPA, 2020). The impacts of air pollutants on human health and vegetation are dealt with in Chapter 3 of this report. Greenhouse gas emissions from industry are addressed separately by the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS; Directive 2003/87/EC) (Chapter 2). Pollutant releases to air of carbon dioxide from industrial facilities decreased by 23 per cent between 2007 and 2018 (Figure 10.8). The most recent figures, from 2018, show that 21 facilities reported carbon dioxide releases of 15,200 kilotonnes, with the energy sector responsible for 63 per cent of the total. In 2018, carbon dioxide releases comprised more than 99 per cent of the total reportable pollutant greenhouse gas release to air of 15,279 kilotonnes, as reported in the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register. Figure 10.8  Total national carbon dioxide releases (Source: EPA http://www.epa.ie/enforcement/prtr/) Chemical Industry Mineral Industry Waste and wastewater management Energy sector 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Year 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 0m 5m 10m 15m 20m Releases in tonnes 265