Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

368 Chapter 14: Environment, Health and Wellbeing Topic Box 14.1  The Wellbeing Framework for Ireland It is increasingly recognised that traditional macro-economic indicators, such as gross domestic product, fail to provide a comprehensive picture of the diverse experiences and wellbeing of people and households. A cross-government initiative called the Wellbeing Framework (WBF) for Ireland has been developed, which aims to capture a more complete and holistic view of how our society is faring and how Ireland is doing as a country. The WBF for Ireland focuses on quality of life, with a particular emphasis on sustainability and equality (Figure 14.1). Figure 14.1 Well-being Framework for Ireland Sustainability and Equality Measures – Trends, International Comparison and Inequalities Source: Department of the Taoiseach, 2023a In the government’s most recent annual analysis, the environment, climate and biodiversity dimension (one of 11 dimensions analysed) was the only one that showed negative overall performance, with poor performance in all four dimension indicators (pollution/grime, water body quality, GHG emissions, waste generated) (Department of the Taoiseach, 2023a). When compared with other European Union (EU) countries, Ireland had the highest emissions in tonnes per capita and was below the EU average in water body quality and waste generated per capita. While the WBF for Ireland is still in the early stages of implementation, assessments carried out through the framework can help to bring new information more clearly into the policymaking space. Significant opportunity exists for the framework to capture data of greater breadth and depth on environmental issues, which can then be better linked with wellbeing objectives. There should also be greater focus around environmental justice issues to help in identifying inequalities and make them more visible, which has been called for by the National Economic and Social Council and others (O’Neill S. et al ., 2022; NESC, 2023). Environmental inequalities are not well addressed by current policy and are likely to endure, and potentially expand, into the future (EEA, 2019b). Identifying and increasing the visibility of inequalities under frameworks such as the WBF would make these issues more evident, allowing a greater focus and targeted and measurable action across policy areas.