Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

371 Chapter 14: Environment, Health and Wellbeing While availability of green space is important, spaces must be of high quality in various respects, including safety, accessibility, cleanliness and wider service provision, to be perceived as being adequate by the local community (Scott et al ., 2020; Barlow et al ., 2021). By enhancing the provision and design of new and existing green spaces by incorporating specific attributes valued by the local community, green spaces can be maximised as health-promoting environments. Ireland’s National Planning Framework 2040 (DHLGH, 2018) recognises the key national environmental challenges we face, in terms of climate change, air quality, health risks to drinking water, urban waste water and protecting our natural environment, and indicates that the planning system will be ‘responsive’ to these challenges. Our urban areas are at the front line in terms of vulnerability to the progressively worsening impacts of climate change – they are significant sources of GHG emissions while also housing a significant proportion of our population. Nature-based solutions Nature-based solutions (NbSs) are a key tool in helping to address climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution while simultaneously benefiting human health, societal wellbeing and urban prosperity. NbSs have gained much momentum and focus in recent years (Faivre et al ., 2017) as multifunctional solutions for addressing socio-environmental challenges and benefiting both human wellbeing and biodiversity. Solutions can encompass a broad range of approaches including green and blue infrastructure and natural water retention measures, as well as ecosystem- based adaptation and disaster risk reduction measures (EEA, 2021a). The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that one-third of climate mitigation measures needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement can be provided by NbSs. We currently have much knowledge around NbSs, including evidence of their benefits and good examples of NbSs in practice. We also have national guidance to assist local authorities and planning professionals with NbSs for the management of rainwater and surface water run-off in urban areas (DHLGH, 2021), as well as regional guidance around NbSs and blue–green infrastructure (Southern Regional Assembly, n.d.). Mainstreaming and upscaling the implementation of appropriate localised NbSs should be prioritised as a means of addressing many environmental challenges while co-benefiting health and wellbeing. The design and implementation of NbSs should be inclusive and collaborative from the outset, allowing communities to participate in the design of their own spaces, thereby mobilising local knowledge into local solutions. This is of particular importance, as national- level research has demonstrated the success of this approach as a means of providing guidance and insights into innovative approaches that could be explored (Scott et al ., 2020; Clavin et al ., 2021). Monitoring and evaluating the performance and impact of NbS interventions across various societal challenge areas (including climate resilience, water management, air quality and biodiversity, as well as health and wellbeing) is essential if we are to fully understand the success of NbSs, and also provides evidence to inform policy and further action for appropriate land use planning and management (Dumitru et al ., 2021).