Major challenges lie ahead for our environment

OVERVIEW:A new report on the state of the Irish environment identifies climate change and population growth as difficulties to be faced

THE FOURTH major report on the state of the Irish environment concludes that its quality remains relatively high overall - but that there are major challenges posed by economic and population growth as well as by climate change.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report published yesterday provides an integrated and comprehensive assessment of water quality, air quality, emissions, waste, soil, biodiversity and climate change in Ireland.

It has been published every four years since 1996.

Since the last report in 2004, economic growth and population increase has intensified pressure on the environment, EPA director general Dr Mary Kelly writes in the foreword.

"Despite this, Ireland's environment is of a relatively high quality overall, although there is no room for complacency," Dr Kelly concludes.

CLIMATE CHANGE

The report, which runs to almost 300 pages, identifies climate change as the chief challenge facing the country.

Ireland will face huge difficulties in meeting its Kyoto targets and the more exacting EU target of a 20 per cent reduction below 2005 greenhouse emission levels by 2020, it finds.

Agriculture and transport are particular problem areas, and even with all the planned additional measures being implemented, Ireland will still exceed the Kyoto emissions targets by 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent each year between now and 2012.

In its assessment of the present state of the environment, the EPA identifies "two primary areas where unsatisfactory conditions are extensive".

The first is the pollution of water.

The second is the "unsatisfactory conservation of natural habitat and species", also the subject of a recently-published habitats study.

WATER

While 71 per cent of more than 13,000km of river channels surveyed was considered to be in satisfactory condition (a 2 per cent increase since 2004), the remaining 29 per cent was of unsatisfactory quality.

One-tenth of the river channel survey was moderately polluted, with some 39 rivers (less than 1 per cent) seriously polluted. The number of fish kills during the survey period had fallen slightly since the previous report.

Water quality in 66 lakes (15 per cent of those surveyed) was unsatisfactory - most of these lakes were in counties Monaghan, Cavan and Leitrim.

In addition, a number of major estuaries in the southeast and south were showing signs of nutrient enrichment, while there were elevated nitrate levels in groundwater, mainly in the east and southeast.

Some 62 per cent of groundwater bodies were considered at risk of deteriorating below "good water" status.

According to the report: "Most of the pollution is characterised by eutrophication [enrichment of water by nutrients] and attributed to a number of causes, including municipal, agricultural, industry and forestry."

Coastal waters are not affected by pollution, it also finds, while the quality of bathing water is high, thanks partly to the Blue Flag initiative.

But pollution in groundwater, lakes and rivers poses problems in reaching "good status" for Ireland's water bodies by 2015, as required under the Water Framework Directive.

HABITATS

As to biodiversity, the report cites the recent assessment under the EU Habitats Directive which shows many important habitats having "bad conservation status, including dune systems, raised and blanket bogs, natural grasslands and woodland".

In identifying threatened species, the report goes on to point out that as much as 75 per cent of fish stock in Irish waters is "being harvested beyond safe biological limits".

For the first time the remediation of as many as 2,000 contaminated sites throughout Ireland is also highlighted as an important issue.

Contaminated sites in Ireland include disused landfills, abandoned mines and sites of old industrial activities such as steel or gas works.

"The EPA has estimated that there are between 1,980 and 2,300 sites where there is the potential for soil or/and groundwater contamination, but the actual number is unknown as there is no national inventory."

WASTE

The report argues that consideration for the environment should become integral to all policies and plans, and that it should be "mainstreamed" in every sector of the economy and society.

It also says that business must take greater responsibility for environmental performance.

The report also describes current levels of resource use by individuals (in particular energy and water) as unsustainable. "Individual behaviours must change if a more sustainable style of living is to be attained."

While finding that large-scale illegal dumping has been eliminated, it finds that there is a "substantial minority taking part in illegal activities such as littering, fly-tipping and backyard burning of household waste."

The recycling target of 50 per cent for household waste by 2013 will be a difficult goal to attain, given that it only 22 per cent of household waste was recycled in 2006.

The report states that the exporting of high volumes of hazardous waste, contaminated soil and ordinary recyclable waste (1.6 million tonnes for the latter in 2006) needs to be addressed with thermal treatment, better composting and mechanical and biological treatment.

CHALLENGES

The report states that Ireland faces a "difficult challenge" in meeting many of its obligations and adds: "Failure to deliver on our international environmental obligations in itself is an indication of a lack of commitment to the environment and may impinge on Ireland's image as a country with a high-quality environment."