Ireland's Environment 2008 is the fourth state of the environment report produced by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA produces state of the environment reports on a four-year cycle with previous reports produced in 2004, 2000 and 1996.
The EPA also publishes environmental indicator reports in the middle of this cycle, which provide a mid-term assessment of state of the environment reporting. The fourth indicator report is planned for publication in 2010.
The 2008 state of the environment report presents the most recent information on the quality of Ireland's environment and the pressures being placed on it. The report details:-
The aim of the state of the environment and indicator reports is to provide ongoing, timely information and knowledge to the general public, as well as to policymakers and to key economic sectors so as to support action to protect and manage the environment.
The overall conclusion of the report is that Ireland's environment is generally of a good quality but that there are some key environmental challenges facing Ireland resulting from the major economic, social and demographic changes that have occurred in recent years.
The report identifies four priority challenges for the environment:
Ireland's Environment 2008 evaluates the state of the environment across a number of themes including, climate change, water quality, air quality and emissions, waste, chemicals, land soil and biodiversity and environmental noise.
Chapter 1 introduces the general regulatory and policy framework in operation across the main environmental themes.
Chapter 2 presents some recent social and economic drivers such as population growth, economic activities and consumption patterns. These developments are putting increasing pressures on the environment and so, must be considered in order to place the current state of the environment in context.
Chapter 3 discusses climate change and its future implications for Ireland.
Chapter 4 details the current state of air quality and trends of air emissions in Ireland.
Chapter 5 discusses the Water Framework Directive with Chapters 6-9 detailing the current implementation status of the Water Framework Directive in the context of specific water categories such as groundwater (Chapter 6), rivers (Chapter 7), lakes (Chapter 8) and coastal and estuarine waters (Chapter 9).
Chapter 10 covers ongoing developments in the area of waste management within the wider context of resource use and consumption.
Chapter 11 discusses land use and changes in land use. Ireland has experienced a relatively high rate of land use change since the early 1990s. Consideration of the rate and nature of land use changes indicate where future environmental pressures are likely to arise.
Chapter 12 addresses soil and the interdependency of soil, water and air in an integrated approach to environmental protection.
Chapter 13 covers the area of biodiversity, which can be viewed as a litmus test of the state of Ireland's environment. Whatever happens in the land, water and air environments affect biodiversity.
Chapter 14 addresses a number of environmental issues such as chemicals in the environment, nanotechnology, dioxins, genetically modified organisms, radioactivity and environmental noise.
Chapter 15 focuses on scenarios of future economic growth and social change. Projections for emissions to air and waste generation are outlined with pressure points identified and the consequent need for action highlighted.
Chapter 16 concludes Ireland's environment is generally of good quality but that Ireland faces key environmental challenges in the coming years. The four main challenges identified are, limiting and adapting to climate change, reversing environmental degradation, mainstreaming environmental considerations and complying with environmental legislation and agreements.
Download or buy printed version of Ireland's Environment 2008.
