State of the Environment report
The EPA produces state of the environment reports on a four-yearly cycle. These reports provide timely information and knowledge to the public, policymakers and key economic sectors in support of action to protect and manage the environment. Ireland's Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 is the most recent state of the environment report published by the EPA. The seventh in the series, previous state of the environment reports were published in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 & 2016.
Ireland’s Environment, the EPA’s companion online resource, is refreshed regularly with new data. It provides a current assessment of the state of the Irish environment using key indicators.
Ireland's Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 presents the most recent integrated information on the quality of Ireland's environment. The report outlines the current state of our environment at a strategic level. It also provides an update on the environmental challenges that we face, nationally and globally.
Access the 2020 report and resources in this section:
View the Ireland's Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 report in full
View the Key Messages Booklet 2020
View the report's 3-minute video
Flick through the report in ebook format
Read the 2020 report's Foreword
Read the 2020 report's Executive Summary
NEW - Ireland's Environment Maps and Charts (supplement)
Figures and tables from Chapter 15, Environmental performance, policy and implementation:
| Title | Figure/Table link (pdf) |
|---|---|
| Summary of key selected environmental legislation, policies and plans in place in Ireland across the key thematic areas | Figure 15.1 |
| Overview of some of the important sectoral policies, plans and programmes in place in Ireland | Figure 15.2 |
| Suggested enablers for improving implementation and integration of environmental policy, plans and programmes in Ireland | Table 15.2 |
| Current assessment and outlook for Ireland across five key environmental policy areas | Table 15.3 |
Explore the 2020 report chapter by chapter:
| Chapter 1 | Introduction (pdf) |
|---|---|
| Chapter 2 | Climate (pdf) |
| Chapter 3 | Air quality (pdf) |
| Chapter 4 | Environmental noise (pdf) |
| Chapter 5 | Land and soil (pdf) |
| Chapter 6 | Nature (pdf) |
| Chapter 7 | Water quality (pdf) |
| Chapter 8 | The marine environment (pdf) |
| Chapter 9 | Waste (pdf) |
| Chapter 10 | Environment and industry (pdf) |
| Chapter 11 | Environment and transport (pdf) |
| Chapter 12 | Environment and energy (pdf) |
| Chapter 13 | Environment and agriculture (pdf) |
| Chapter 14 | Environment, health and wellbeing (pdf) |
| Chapter 15 | Environmental performance, policy and implementation (pdf) |
| Chapter 16 | Conclusions (pdf) |
Previous reports in the state of Ireland's environment series
Additional resources:
The EPA Story of Your Stuff competition ran from 2017 to 2022 and encouraged behaviours around sustainability, climate action and environmental protection among second-level students. Participants investigated and presented the environmental story of their everyday ‘stuff’ through short videos. Students used the resources on the EPA website, particularly the Ireland’s Environmentweb resource, to research their entries. The winning, second- and third-place entries are available on the EPA’s YouTube channel.
Learn about Europe's environment on the European Environment Agency's website
Learn about the European Green Deal – the plan to make the EU's economy sustainable and climate neutral by 2050
Read about the EU Environment Action Programme to 2030 (8th EAP) - the programme to guide European environmental policy until 2030