Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

52 Chapter 2: Air Every 4 years, Member States submit data collected from their respective networks to the European Commission. Ireland’s first submission in 2019 was heavily reliant on historical data collected on the International Cooperative Programme’s forest sites. Since 2020, the NEMN has undergone substantial development, with effects monitoring carried out through ecological surveys at raised bogs, heathlands and grasslands. The network has grown from 44 predominantly forestry sites to a network of 130 sites encompassing a number of sensitive habitats. The data collected feed into reporting at a European level through the EEA. Ireland’s latest data submission, made in 2023, is available on the EEA website. 8 All data collected from the NEMN will provide evidence on atmospheric nitrogen and NH 3 emissions and their impacts on sensitive habitats, while also contributing to an improved understanding of effects at a European scale through links with the International Cooperative Programme (ICP) on Modelling and Mapping 9 . While some of the NEMN sites are located on previous ICP Forests 10 sites, many terrestrial sites have not previously been monitored for species variety and abundance and air quality. Consequently, the data from the surveys undertaken since 2021 will serve as a baseline for future surveys against which impacts and recovery of habitats can be monitored. Ireland’s NEMN will also contribute to developing the wider EU monitoring network, improving our understanding of air pollution impacts on ecosystems across Europe. 5. National air quality policy Clean Air Strategy The government launched Ireland’s first Clean Air Strategy in 2023 (DECC, 2023). It includes an ambition to achieve full alignment with WHO air quality guideline limits by 2040 and its interim targets by 2026 and 2030 (interim targets 3 and 4, respectively; see Topic Box 2.1). The strategy sets out measures and actions to support continuous improvements in air quality. These relate, for example, to parameters such as SO 2 , particulate matter (e.g. actions on solid fuel regulations, enforcement, communication), NO 2 (e.g. transport actions) and NH 3 (e.g. agriculture actions). The strategy has a focus on improving enforcement, particularly of the Solid Fuels Regulations (S.I. No. 529/2022). It also seeks to increase 8 www.cdr.eionet.europa.eu/ie/eu/nec_revised/monitoring/envzj3asw/ (accessed 28 May 2024). 9 International Cooperative Programme on Modelling and Mapping of Critical Levels and Loads and Air Pollution Effects, Risks and Trends: www.unece.org/modelling-and-mapping 10 International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests: www.unece.org/ environmental-policy/air/forests 11 www.epa.ie/take-action/in-the-community/citizen-science/clean-air-projects/#d.en.84492 the evidence around how to address air quality issues and to ensure the integration of clean air considerations into policy development across government. To provide the necessary governance to support and monitor implementation of the strategy, DECC set out that it would establish and lead the Clean Air Strategic Implementation Group and the Strategic Clean Air Communications Group. The Clean Air Strategy also proposes additional citizen engagement that builds on the successful GLOBE and Clean Air Together 11 projects, developed by the EPA and the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce in recent years. Ireland is not currently meeting the WHO air quality guideline limits at a national level. A roadmap of concrete actions is required to achieve the targets and deliver on the ambition of the Clean Air Strategy, including achieving the interim targets. Full and timely implementation of the framework measures will be of substantial benefit to the overall achievement of cleaner air. Dublin Air Quality Plan In 2019, the St. John’s Road West monitoring station in Dublin measured an annual average concentration of 43 μg/m 3 for NO 2 (EPA, 2020). The four Dublin local authorities prepared an air quality plan, submitted to the European Commission in December 2021, to address the exceedance of the EU annual limit value (DCC et al. , 2021). To achieve compliance with the limit value for NO 2 , 14 measures were included in the air quality plan. While there have been no exceedances in the intervening years, full implementation of the plan by the local authorities is necessary to maintain compliance with the air limit value for NO 2 . Updates on the 14 measures are reported each year to the European Commission. Solid Fuels Regulations In 2022, the new Solid Fuels Regulations for Ireland (S.I. No. 529/2022) set out additional restrictions on the retail, online and commercial sale of smoky fuels, including smoky coal, turf and wet wood, to protect and improve air quality. The sale and distribution of solid fuels that are not approved under the regulations was prohibited. The regulations set national minimum technical standards