2008 - Ireland's Environmentis the fourth "state of the environment" report published by the Environmental Protection Agency. The report assesses the overall quality of Ireland's environment, the pressures on it and the way we are responding as a society to current and emerging environmental issues.
It analyses the last four years of Ireland's performance on the environment and concludes that while the Republic's environmental quality is good, we are not making headway or progressing at the rate we need to.
For the first time, the report includes projections for environmental pressures, including waste generation and emissions to air. This allows the EPA to predict what the future could look like unless significant policy actions are taken now.
The overall picture painted by the report, which is the most wide-ranging assessment of Ireland's environment, highlights the scale of the challenges faced and concludes that our environment is an asset under threat.
The report has 16 chapters and covers categories including climate change and air quality, water, waste and resource use, terrestrial environment and biodiversity, and protecting and managing the environment.
It can be accessed through the Environmental Protection Agency's website: www.epa.ie