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

Ireland’s Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 6. Conclusions Summary Assessment of Ireland’s Implementation Performance This section presents a summary of the EPA’s assessment of Ireland’s performance in implementing key environmental policy and legislation in the areas of climate, air, nature, water and waste/circular economy, based on the high-level performance assessments presented earlier in this chapter and the findings presented elsewhere in this report. Selected relevant indicators for each of these policy areas are presented in Table 15.3, illustrating the current status/ level of compliance, the dominant trend over the past 20- 25 years, and the outlook/prospective of Ireland meeting the relevant policy objectives/targets. Table 15.3  Current assessment and outlook for Ireland across five key environmental policy areas (Source: EPA, based on evidence and assessments presented in this report) POLICY AREA CURRENT ASSESSMENT OUTLOOK NOTES CLIMATE Climate Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have not been sufficiently decoupled from economic activity. Ireland had the third highest per capita GHG emissions in the EU in 2017 (EEA, 2019a), resulting in a current assessment of very poor. Our 2020 target will not be met without relying on purchasing credits or allowances (EPA, 2020b). Decarbonisation of energy will need to be accelerated rapidly to achieve our 2030 target and enable achievement of the current or emerging 2050 transition objective. Steps to reduce other GHG emissions are urgently needed. Renewable energy share Despite considerable expansion in recent years, Ireland’s renewable energy share (at 10.7%) remains well below the EU average (17.5%), with fossil energy making up 90% of Ireland’s energy needs. Ireland looks set to fall short of reaching binding EU renewable energy targets for 2020. National targets for 2030 imply significant further expansion in this period which will then need to continue. Climate adaptation There have been good advances on the planning and governance side, with the establishment of the Climate Action Regional Offices, and all sectors and Local Authorities now have climate adaptation strategies and plans in place. However, there is little evidence of the implementation of these strategies or plans to date. Overall climate assessment While there has been some progress on renewable energy and ambitious climate action and adaptation plans, Ireland’s failure to significantly reduce GHG emissions results in a ‘very poor’ current assessment. Meeting 2030 targets and our 2050 transition objective will require the full implementation of current policies and measures and significant national investments. 408