host posted on October 08, 2008 16:45
8th October 2008
The report released today by the EPA shows that Ireland is falling badly short of targets to maintain a clean and healthy environment, essential elements of a healthy social and economic infrastructure.
“The poor state of Ireland’s Environment, including soaring climate pollution, unchecked biodiversity loss, and continued failures to improve water quality, are all thoroughly documented in the report. It provides a timely reminder for government to face up to Ireland’s disastrous record of sustainable development”
It reveals significant overshoot of current EU targets and legal obligations in greenhouse gas emissions at 7 million tonnes over 2020 limits, biodegradable municipal waste targets exceeded by 800,000 tonnes per annum by 2016, NOX levels currently above the 2010 ceiling, and up to 75% of marine fish species being exploited beyond sustainable population maintenance levels.
Nature conservation / Biodiversity
The report refers to the several recent prosecutions against Ireland from the European Courts on failure to implement nature laws. These prosecutions reflect successive government’s total lack protection of habitats and species from a range of mounting pressures. The report makes it clear that government needs to take urgent action to address the serious systemic inadequacies which were the subject of these prosecutions.
Take the Natural Habitats Regulations, for example, which are cited in the report as one of the controls in place to protect Natura 2000 sites. “These regulations are wholly insufficient to achieve what they set out to achieve – to implement the Habitats Directive, and thus to protect threatened species and habitats in a sample of carefully selected precious conservation sites” explains a spokesperson for An Taisce. These regulations are in the process of being reviewed in response to legal warnings from European Authorities.
Other ‘controls’ cited in the report, such as the planning acts, are routinely flouted by Planning Authorities, at the cost of clean drinking and recreational waters, and at the cost of healthy ecosystems upon which society and economy depends. It is exactly these kind of weak and poorly applied measures which are about to result in costly fines for continued non-compliance with European nature laws. It is the taxpayer which will bear the brunt of these ineffective measures, an unacceptable ask in times of economic hardship.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change
Alarming as the figures are , with Ireland being among the worlds highest per capita Green house gas emitters, the EPA fails to meet the standard of the UK Climate Change Commission report published earlier this week to address aviation and shipping emissions.
The EPA report fails entirely to address the policy and practical actions needed both within Ireland and with EU cooperation as well as the EPA's own direct role and a waste and emission licensing body. Such actions should include:
- taking global leadership in energy conservation and renewable energy, including immediate utilisation of Irelands massive offshore wind capacity, and capping of further fossil fuel power generation including gas for reasons of energy security as much as greenhouse gas reduction.
- Energy saving insulation of the existing 1. 7 million housing units in Ireland, which will also have an incidental employment impact in the current construction downturn.
- Decarbonised transport infrastructure based on renewable generated electric power including buses, with abandonment of all new road, port and aviation expansion and removal of the range incentives such as lack of parking control which encourage unsustainable private car use.
- Diversification of agricultural output to reduce dependence on high greenhouse gas generating beef production
Direct Role of the EPA
The EPA needs to confront its own competence as the Waste Licensing and Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) regulatory body in Ireland. The EPA itself should be using its own powers a licensing authority through the conditions it attaches to Waste Licences for landfills combined with improved enforcement, and by refusing any further IPPC licences for base load gas generating power stations
Conclusion
An Taisce is calling for the facts presented in this report to trigger an end to the era of sidelining the environment, on which we depend. Ireland needs to face up to our responsibilities to future generations. The path is clear, and there can be no more excuses to address the plethora of problems that we are so aware of.
ENDS
Contact:
Anja Murray, Natural Environment Officer, An Taisce – The National Trust of Ireland
01 7077063 / 086 6684617
Anja Murray
Natural Environment Officer,
An Taisce - The National Trust for Ireland