Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

20 Executive Summary Environment and Transport 1. The transport sector is a major consumer of energy and material resources and is a source of environmental pollution, particularly greenhouse gases, air pollutants and noise. 2. A sustainable, accessible and efficient transport system is not only important for the environment and wellbeing but is also a key enabler for the economy. 3. High-level integration between land use planning and transport planning is needed to achieve more compact development, incentivise a move away from private cars, and move trips to rail, bus, cycling and walking. Shifting to these modes is an essential part of a sustainable and climate-neutral transition for the transport sector. Environment and Industry 1. Industrial pollution in Ireland is decreasing, thanks to a blend of regulation, developments in manufacturing, control technology and environmental initiatives. Continued investment and change are needed to ensure compliance with tighter environmental standards and to achieve the targets and reductions that are required under industry’s climate requirements. 2. Compliance with environmental regulation across industry in Ireland is high overall. Many sectors have advanced environmental systems in place that demonstrate a maturity in their approach to environmental compliance. However, a disproportionate number of sites in the food and drink sector, in particular dairy processing sites, and in the waste sector are not performing optimally and are regularly cited on the EPA’s list of national priority sites for not complying with their licence conditions. 3. The unauthorised harvesting and extraction of peat on an industrial scale is causing destruction of Ireland’s natural habitats and compromising the vital role of peatlands in helping society mitigate the impacts of and adapt to climate change. It is essential that planning policy clearly prioritises the regulation and control of these operations. The EPA will continue to exercise its authority over operators and other regulators to ensure the cessation of such unauthorised activities. Environment and Energy 1. Established technologies, such as wind energy, solar photovoltaics and bioenergy, will be key in meeting short-term emission reduction targets (i.e. 2030), whereas significant growth in offshore wind infrastructure is expected to be the key essential element of future energy systems. Enhanced regulatory and planning frameworks, and support schemes, are required to accelerate the deployment of renewables, realise co-benefits and manage trade-offs. 2. Growing demand for electricity is an anticipated by-product of the expected electrification of the heat and transport sectors. However, additional and rapidly increasing electricity demand growth from large energy users is putting pressure on energy systems. 3. World class infrastructure takes significant time and investment from conception to implementation. The time horizon for achieving national and EU commitments is getting ever shorter. Planning in the broadest sense needs to be fast tracked to achieve the ambitious national renewable energy targets. 4. Substantial challenges remain for high-intensity hard-to-decarbonise sectors, e.g. high temperature users, and the development of low or zero carbon fuels to meet these applications are needed. Negative emissions technologies and solutions will also be required to deliver a climate-neutral Ireland.