Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

473 Chapter 17: Conclusions Conclusions 1. Introduction 1 www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-ieu50/irelandandtheeuat50/ (accessed 6 September 2024). The Irish state has been in existence for a little over a hundred years. In that century Ireland has changed radically, with more citizens now living longer, healthier lives in a safe society. These changes have become especially pronounced since Ireland joined the European Union (EU), with the value of exports increasing from just over €1 billion in the early 1970s to over €200 billion in 2022. Our population has also seen a dramatic increase from fewer than 3 million 50 years ago to over 5 million in the most recent census. Life expectancy in Ireland has grown significantly over the period of EU membership, from 71 years in 1971 to 82 years in 2022. The number of people enrolled in third level education also grew sevenfold over a similar time frame. 1 All of these signals indicate the substantial progress that has been made by Ireland as a country. Looking ahead to the next 50 years, if we want to continue to be a successful and thriving country, then we must intensify our actions to restore our environment. A recent assessment shows that Ireland has achieved 80% of the 169 targets linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (DECC, 2023a). However, this success is set against the backdrop of climate and biodiversity emergencies and growing pressures on the environment. This is clear from the SDG targets that are not being achieved, which are associated with the goals on clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, and, critically, climate action. As an active member of the EU over the past 50 years, Ireland has committed to EU targets and objectives to achieve clean air, healthy waters, less wasteful production and consumption, and climate change mitigation. The environmental scorecard for Ireland (Table 17.1) shows the challenges we face on climate, air, nature, water and the circular economy. While we are complying with existing EU limits on ambient air quality, we have a significant challenge in meeting the interim World Health Organization (WHO) guideline limits by 2026, as set out in the national Clean Air Strategy. Our water quality is not meeting the requirements of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) and trends in nutrient concentrations in water are not improving. Consumption of material resources has increased, and our recycling rates are not keeping pace, increasing the likelihood that we will not comply with EU recycling targets. Ireland generated 750,000 tonnes of food waste in 2022 and this has not significantly decreased over the first 3 years of national reporting. Critically, we are not on track to meet national and EU targets for climate mitigation, although some progress is being made. In summary, we are not meeting our legal requirements or, more importantly, the objective of those requirements, namely to provide a healthy environment. The development of this report has led to insights on some of the key elements of change and action that are needed to set us on a trajectory to a sustainable, healthy future for Ireland. The five key priorities, informed by the insights emerging from the report, are set out in Figure 17.1.