Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

475 Chapter 17: Conclusions 2. Environmental scorecard for Ireland Table 17.1 sets out the overall assessment and outlook for Ireland across key environmental policy areas. Table 17.1  Ireland’s environmental scorecard INDICATOR CURRENT ASSESSMENT OUTLOOK NOTES Climate While there has been progress in terms of beginning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and in strengthening adaptation governance structures and support services, overall current assessment for climate is ‘poor’ (a slight improvement from ‘very poor’ in 2020). Full implementation of actions set out in the Climate Action Plan and additional actions are needed if Ireland is to meet its 2030 and 2050 climate targets. Air quality and emissions to air The overall current assessment for air is ‘moderate’ (the same as in 2020). Ireland is compliant with current air quality standards for many air pollutants. However, Ireland is not meeting the guidelines set by WHO for multiple pollutants, including PM 2.5 , and Ireland is non-compliant with the EU reduction target for ammonia and will remain so in the short term. Achieving the ambitions of the Clean Air Strategy and complying with the limit values of the proposed EU Air Quality Directive from 2030 onwards will be challenging, but will have a significant and positive impact on health. Nature The overall current assessment for nature is ‘very poor’ (the same as in 2020). Deteriorating trends dominate, especially for protected habitats and bird populations, and Ireland is not on track to achieve policy objectives for nature. While the recent expansion of marine protected areas is welcome, additional far-reaching measures are needed to address the declines in nature and biodiversity.