The latest assessment by the Environmental Protection Agency of the state of the Irish environment is the most concerning since its first iteration some 30 years ago. A worsening environment facilitated by insufficiently robust policies and poor implementation imperils Irish prosperity. This will be compounded by pressures from a worsening climate crisis, a growing economy and a rising population.
The assessment charts the poor state of the physical environment, which could undermine food security and erode wild spaces that harbour internationally important habitats and species. It comes to a cold conclusion: agriculture is not on a sustainable path – not contributing sufficiently to ensure a healthy environment – despite many plans, programmes and actions at farm level.
Its core message is that transformation of Ireland’s energy, food and transport system is required. This must be reinforced by the putting in place of critical infrastructure that not only ensures continuing economic development but comes with rigorous environmental guardrails.
Based on these findings, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the climate threat risks hitting the economy over coming decades, while scale-up of mitigation measures, even at the most practical level (such as rapid roll-out of indigenous renewable energy), is too incremental and hampered by delays.
The report finds that “a continued lack of delivery” of large-scale practical actions to decarbonise all sectors will see an exceedance of Ireland’s first two carbon budgets”. Ultimately, that will lead to multibillion euro penalties and restricted opportunities to respond; what will be feasible will come with far greater cost.
It recognises that developing world-class infrastructure takes significant time and investment from conception to implementation. However, the time horizon for achieving national and EU commitments is getting ever shorter.
The longer this is delayed, the longer it will be before those opportunities are realised – including social and economic co-benefits for people, communities and business such as clean air, decongested cities, warmer homes and thriving rural communities – that can be delivered through innovation tied into decarbonisation. Building resilience to ongoing and future climate impacts must be “mainstreamed”, it says. The national focus on cutting emissions must be broadened to adaptation when extreme weather exacerbated by an overheating world becomes more frequent.
The EPA calls for a national policy statement on the environment, which is needed to drive the necessary transition. The Government’s forthcoming land use review should provide a critical input. The process should start with a collective acknowledgement that fulfilling, healthy lives depend on the quality of our environment.