Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

446 Chapter 16: Environmental Policy Implementation and Performance Ireland’s performance on air Chapter 2 provides a detailed look at air quality in Ireland, including pressures and policy responses. It notes that air pollution is the largest environmental health risk in Europe, causing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases that can lead to preventable deaths. Under the Zero Pollution Action Plan adopted in 2021, the European Commission has set a 2030 goal of reducing the number of premature deaths caused by fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) by at least 55% compared with 2005 levels. The zero-pollution vision for 2050 is for air, water and soil pollution to be reduced to levels no longer considered harmful to health and natural ecosystems, thereby creating a non-toxic environment. In Ireland, the main policies addressing air quality are the National Air Pollution Control Programme and the Clean Air Strategy. The National Air Pollution Control Programme outlines the pathway Ireland will follow to achieve compliance with its commitments under the Emission reduction Commitments Directive (NECD) ((Directive 2016/2284), while the Clean Air Strategy promotes the integration of measures across government departments to reduce air pollution and achieve better air quality. Overall, air quality in Ireland continues to be good when compared with other EU Member States. However, the latest EPA report notes that there are concerning localised issues relating to fine particulate matter from solid fuel combustion and nitrogen dioxide from vehicle emissions. While all EU air quality standards in 2022 were met, Ireland fell short of meeting the more stringent health-based World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines (EPA, 2023b). Ireland’s emissions of most air pollutants have fallen in recent years, with the exception of ammonia. Ammonia emissions are largely driven by the cattle population and nitrogen fertiliser use. While ammonia emission in 2022 were 1% below 2021 levels, Ireland exceeded its 2020 emission reduction commitment for a third year in a row (EPA, 2024c). Compliance with 2030 reduction commitments will be achieved only through comprehensive implementation of abatement measures such as low-emission slurry spreading and the use of inhibited urea fertiliser on farms. As at 4 July 2024, there were two air-related infringement cases open against Ireland, relating to: ■ failure to ensure correct implementation of the National Emission Reduction Commitments Directive ((EU) 2016/2284) ■ non-conforming transposition of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (2010/75/ EU) on industrial emissions. The priority actions for Ireland to address air quality, as identified in the Commission’s EIR 2022, are listed in Topic Box 16.2. Topic Box 16.2  Priority actions for Ireland on air (EC, 2022) ■ As part of the National Air Pollution Control Programme, take actions towards reducing emissions from the main sources of air pollution. ■ Ensure full compliance with EU air quality standards and maintain downwards emissions trends for air pollutants to reduce adverse air pollution impacts on health and the economy, with a view to reaching WHO guideline values in the future. ■ Accelerate the ratification of the amended Gothenburg Protocol under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Air Convention. Ireland’s performance on nature Chapter 7 examines the status of nature in Ireland and discusses the serious threats posed by biodiversity loss and habitat deterioration. Globally, the Kunming- Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework sets out a pathway to reach a vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. At the EU level, the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 seeks to put biodiversity on a pathway to recovery and sets targets to help achieve resilient and healthy ecosystems. The EU Biodiversity Strategy works alongside the Farm to Fork Strategy, the revised Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Soil Strategy for 2030 to support the transition to more sustainable agriculture. Together, they set four important targets for 2030: reducing the use of chemical pesticides by 50%, reducing nutrient losses from fertiliser by 50% while ensuring there is no deterioration in soil fertility, restoring a minimum of 10% of agricultural land with high- biodiversity landscape features, and increasing the area of land farmed organically to at least 25% (EC, 2022). The EU Biodiversity Strategy is supported by the newly adopted EU Nature Restoration Law, which sets restoration targets for marine and terrestrial habitats. Under the Nature Restoration Law, ecosystems with the greatest potential for removing and storing carbon and preventing or reducing the impacts of natural disasters (such as floods) will be prioritised. Member States are required to submit national restoration plans to the Commission within 2 years of the law coming into force showing how they will achieve the restoration targets.