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

Chapter 1: Introduction The challenge facing us over the next decade is to halt any further deterioration of our natural environment while our population continues to grow; secure the improvements in our natural environment that we have made through regulation and investment; integrate radiological protection into our built environment; start restoring some of the precious habitats and water bodies that we have lost; leverage growing public engagement on environmental issues and accelerate action to decarbonise and green our economy and society; and protect ourselves against the inevitable consequences of climate disruption for our island. As noted earlier in this chapter, an immediate task facing Ireland in the context of this assessment of our national environment is to consider what opportunities there are through post-COVID-19 national economic stimulus packages to leverage enduring environmental and public health benefits that address the concerns raised here. At the very least, we need to ensure that economic interventions do not contribute to the ‘locking in’ of unsustainable high-carbon technologies; lead to the development of national infrastructure that is not climate resilient; compromise biodiversity and ecosystem services; contribute to a health burden for the population through emissions from poorly considered choices and from radiological sources; and generate irreversible environmental and cultural losses. Research and assessment undertaken by the CSO (2019) and the Economic and Social Research Institute (Morgenroth et al. , 2018) has identified that there exists within the national taxation and subsidy system a series of reliefs that are environmentally harmful. It will be essential that such market failures are identified and removed from the taxation code and subsidy schemes as they are incompatible with sustainable recovery ambitions. National economic stimulus packages that are environmentally framed (i.e. through the EU green taxonomy; EU, 2020), allied to strong public awareness, present a real – and rational – opportunity to advance our transition ambitions and our adaptive capacity while delivering enduring economic and social benefits. 3. Content of the Report The environment must be seen in its totality if we are to understand our impact on it, both positive and negative. Therefore, our assessments go beyond simply looking at individual parts of the environment and consider the interconnections that link them together and the human activities that can affect them. This report, in common with the previous six reports, provides an overview of the current condition of Ireland’s environment and whether it is getting better or worse. The EPA is required by law to periodically report on an integrated assessment of Ireland’s natural environment, including radiological aspects. The EPA’s evidence capability, comprising its expertise, experience, data, research and technologies, together informs and supports this assessment. We have also engaged with, and benefited from the input of, key national agencies with core knowledge and data relevant to sections of this report. What do we mean by an integrated assessment? The environment must be seen in its totality if we are to understand our impact on it, both positive and negative. For example, measures to tackle climate change can have a negative impact on air quality and water quality if not planned carefully; and biodiversity can be affected by water quality, air quality and climate change. This means that our assessments have to go beyond simply looking at individual parts of the environment; rather, they must also consider the interconnections that link them together and the human activities that can affect them. This report is therefore structured into two main parts: thematic assessments covering climate, air, noise, soil and land cover, nature and the freshwater and marine environment; and integrated assessments covering waste, the economy/industry, transport, energy, agriculture and the interactions between the environment and human health and wellbeing. For 2020, we have included a new chapter called ‘Tracking Plans and Programmes’, which addresses how Ireland is doing in the area of environmental policy implementation. The report concludes with a chapter covering integrated assessment and the key messages. 29