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

Chapter 16: Conclusions Conclusions 1. Introduction Four years from now, we envisage that the next state of the environment report will provide evidence of solutions to the environmental challenges outlined in this report being implemented, and at an accelerating pace. We hope to be reporting on improved compliance rates with environmental targets and presenting case studies about projects that are making a difference to the local environment and communities across the country. Solutions already exist in many cases; based on solid research they are articulated in national plans relating to climate, biodiversity, water and a circular waste economy, for example. If fully implemented, these plans will improve Ireland’s environment. The focus in the short term now needs to be on accelerating the implementation of these plans. Our report attests to a greater awareness of the problems and the challenges we face as well as a greater awareness about the positive benefits of a clean environment for health and wellbeing. Notwithstanding the difficulties people face during the on-going COVID-19 crisis that began in March 2020, we live in a time when there is societal momentum for change. The crisis has led many of us to redefine what we truly value and has shown us the importance of the natural environment in our local areas. Ireland’s green and blue spaces are essential components of Ireland’s health infrastructure and include urban parks, coasts, lakes and rivers, forests and bogs. Clean and protected green and blues spaces allow people to get out in nature and away from the everyday stresses to the benefit of health and wellbeing. 1 The environmental challenges that Ireland faces are giving rise to complex and systemic issues. These cut across different key environmental topics, such as water, air, soil, waste and biodiversity, and across organisations and sectors, business and all levels of society. They are taxing economically, technically, sociologically and administratively. Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, adapting to climate change and protecting biodiversity are the main challenges. But there are other issues that require urgent attention, including managing the health risks from pollutants, chemicals and pathogens in the environment. Then there is the challenge around our consumption of resources and failing to maximise the value of the resources we have extracted. Integrated solutions will be needed to address these challenges, 1 Using green and blue spaces will benefit both your physical and mental health http://www.epa.ie/newsandevents/news/name,69592,en.html bringing with them change, and associated losses and gains to sectoral interests. Many of the actions needed are linked; for example, there are synergies between biodiversity protection, land use and Ireland’s transition to a climate-neutral, climate-resilient society. Unspoilt areas are being squeezed out and we are losing our pristine waters and the habitats that provide vital spaces for biodiversity. New measures are needed to deal with many of these challenges, but, as this assessment shows, full implementation of, and compliance with, existing directives, legislation and plans could make a significant difference as well. Ireland needs an overall integrated national policy position on the environment, or it risks existing environmental protection measures failing or competing with each other. This policy position could set out the ambition for protecting Ireland’s environment in the short, medium and long term. It could also set out how the legacy of a protected environment for future generations to enjoy could be achieved, as well as emphasise the importance of a clean, safe and protected environment for health and wellbeing. It should be a national policy position that all government departments, agencies, businesses, communities and individuals can sign up to in order to play their part in protecting our environment. This chapter will discuss an environmental scorecard for Ireland (section 2), Ireland’s environment in a European context (section 3) and overall key SOE messages for Ireland (section 4). It concludes with a final section on the highlights from the individual chapters of this report (section 5). 421