Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

466 Chapter 16: Environmental Policy Implementation and Performance 4. Conclusions It is clear from this chapter, and the evidence presented elsewhere in this report, that a number of serious deficits remain in how Ireland has implemented EU environmental legislation and that we are not on track to achieve a considerable number of our environmental policy objectives and commitments. While a growing number of ambitious policies are now in place, Ireland continues to face immense challenges in tackling water pollution, high greenhouse gas emissions, loss of nature and biodiversity, and unsustainably high levels of waste generation and, while progress has been made on air pollution, further reductions are needed in the years ahead to adequately protect human health. Addressing these issues, particularly in the context of Ireland’s strong population and economic growth, requires accelerated action and investment to implement existing environmental legislation in full and a move towards more holistic integration of environmental and climate considerations into policymaking.