Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

9 Executive Summary Executive Summary This is the eighth State of the Environment Report published by the Environmental Protection Agency since the first report in 1996. The report provides thematic assessments in Part 1, focusing on key trends in and challenges and actions for air, climate change, noise, water, marine, nature, land use and soil. Part 2 provides detailed integrated assessments of key economic sectors: transport, energy, agriculture, industry and the circular economy and the interactions between human health and the environment. Finally, Part 3 provides an in-depth assessment of how Ireland is performing in the area of environmental policy implementation. The key messages emerging from each chapter are appended to this summary for ease of reference. The report also provides mid-term commentary on the many plans and programmes in place that have 2030 in their sights (e.g. Climate Action Plan, Sustainable Development Goals). The value of Ireland’s environment cannot and should not be underestimated. Our terrestrial and water environments host exceptionally rich ecosystems that support diverse populations of flora and fauna. These ecosystems provide essential services to people, including food, construction materials and manufacturing resources. They provide the pollination on which our crops depend, are the source of our drinking waters and attenuate floods. They improve the air we breathe and provide places for the recreation necessary to our health and wellbeing. In this context, this summary provides a summary environmental scorecard on environmental protection and sets out key priorities that the EPA has identified need to be progressed to improve our performance in environmental protection. Environmental Scorecard for Ireland The summary scorecard analysis shown in Table 1 highlights that the scale of improvements that are being made across a variety of areas is insufficient to meet national long-term environmental objectives and targets, especially where they require coordinated action across thematic areas. In all cases, the outlook is not positive with substantial challenges to deliver on climate, air, nature, water and the circular economy. There is a need to continue intensifying our activities to address climate change and biodiversity decline while also addressing Ireland’s other environmental priorities. These include tackling water pollution from nutrients, physical damage to our waterways and deficits in the safety of our water supplies, improving our waste segregation and increasing recycling rates, while at the same time reducing our overall consumption of our resources. A further priority is improving air quality to protect our health, including reducing ambient pollution from particulates and nitrogen dioxide.