Thurles Information

An overwhelming majority of adults recognise the value of the environment, while climate change is seen as the most pressing environmental issue in Ireland; so states The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

An overwhelming majority of Irish adults (86%) recognise the value of the environment,  recent research conducted on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed. The EPA have released their findings to coincide with the launch of its “The EPA Year in Review 2018” report. The Red C poll in November 2018 explored attitudes towards environmental issues.

Commenting on the survey, Laura Burke, Director General of the EPA stated,
“We are pleased to see that so many people recognise the importance of our environment as an asset to the country. Many of today’s environmental problems require a cross-sectoral, joined-up Government as well as a societal response. It is clear to us from our everyday interactions, that the public, business and broader society have a greater understanding of the link between reduced emissions and a clean environment, and our health, our wellbeing, our economy, our very culture”.
“In our survey, respondents ranked climate change, waste, water quality and pollution as the biggest environmental challenges they see facing the nation. The EPA has key roles in addressing each of these challenges and our 2018 review report highlights progress in several areas, such as enforcement, licensing and air quality monitoring.”

The EPA’s National Priority Sites for Enforcement system has become an important enforcement tool, driving environmental compliance at licensed industrial and waste facilities. The EPA published regular updates during the year, with the agri-food and waste sectors accounting for the majority of the 15 sites listed for further enforcement action. Of the 15 sites on the National Priority Sites for Enforcement list in 2018, two were convicted in 2018, five more have cases before the court and three others are under consideration. A total of 15 prosecution cases were concluded in 2018, with fines and costs totalling €229,483. Of these, eight sites had been on the National Priority Sites for Enforcement list in 2017 or 2018.

In terms of licensing, the number of decisions issued on industrial and waste licence applications increased in comparison to the previous year, with a total of 167 decisions taken. A new online licensing system also went live.

Speaking about air quality, Laura Burke stated,
“We continue to strengthen the capacity and capability of the air quality network and provide more comprehensive, localised, online information linked to public health advice. The number of EPA air monitoring stations more than doubled during the year, from 19 in 2017 to 45, under the 2017 – 2022 National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme. Our reporting showed that home heating and transport choices directly influence the level of pollution in the air, affecting people’s health and life expectancy.”

The EPA’s Red C survey also shows that just over a third of adults (37%) recognise climate change as the most pressing environmental issue facing the country and 61 per cent cite it as being within the top three environmental concerns for us to tackle.

Ms Burke further stated,
“By any measure, we experienced an extraordinary year in 2018 where nature reminded us who is in charge; climate change is now with us and it is affecting us all. While Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions decreased slightly in 2017, EPA projections show that, at best, Ireland will only achieve a one per cent reduction by 2020 compared to its 20 per cent EU reduction target.”
“We continue to work to engage people in debating how Ireland makes the necessary transition to a sustainable future. The newly established National Dialogue on Climate Action, a Government of Ireland initiative facilitated by the EPA, hosted its first two Regional Gatherings in 2018, held in Athlone and Tralee. The EPA also hosted two public lectures on the science of climate change.”

The EPA supports the implementation, monitoring and assessment of climate action through collating and communicating trends in Ireland’s past and future greenhouse emissions; influencing behavioural change to improve resource efficiency and to foster a circular economy in Ireland through the National Waste Prevention Programme; regulating emissions from industrial sectors and through climate science research.

Ms Burke concluded by stating,
“The EPA prides itself on being an independent public body, working in a complex environment. We have different roles with different stakeholders, as a regulator, knowledge provider and advocate for the environment. In 2019 we will continue to work with all stakeholders to place the environment at the heart of decision making so that the wonderful and unique asset can be protected and improved for all the people of Ireland.”

The “The EPA Year in Review 2018” report and the Red C Survey are both available on www.epa.ie.