Introduction of incentivised waste collection charges will increase sustainability in the commercial sector
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, has signed new legislation to introduce incentivised charging for waste collection in the commercial sector. The Waste Management (Collection Permit) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2023 will come into effect on 1st July 2023. A study published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2018 found […]
EPA inspections find that the Food & Drink and Waste Sectors continue to dominate the EPA National Priority Site List
Thirteen sites were identified as National Priority Sites in 2022, six of these sites were from the Food & Drink sector and five were from the Waste sector. The most common issues identified at these sites were non-compliance with emission limit values, poor operation of waste water treatment plants and the handling and storage of […]
EPA awards €10.7 million for research to support environmental protection in Ireland
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced €10.7 million of research funding for 42 research projects addressing climate change and other emerging, complex environmental problems. This funding will contribute to the delivery of high-quality research, evidence-based policy development and further build Irish environmental research capacity. The funding is an important element of the EPA 2030 Research Strategy which delivers […]
Evidence shows consistent beliefs and attitudes on climate change across Ireland in both rural and urban areas. See what your County thinks about Climate Change
People’s beliefs, attitudes, policy preferences and behaviours on climate change are consistent across Ireland with no discernible difference between urban or rural dwellers. New interactive climate change opinion maps of Ireland allow the public to examine and view national, regional, and county level data about Irish people’s climate change beliefs, attitudes, policy preferences and behaviours. […]
Poorly treated sewage continues to harm the quality of our rivers, lakes and coastal waters, says EPA
Just half (51 per cent) of Ireland’s sewage was treated to the European Union standards set to protect our environment, well below the EU average of 90 per cent. Works to eliminate raw sewage flowing into seas and rivers from 32 towns and villages have commenced or are due to start by 2024. Irish Water […]
Water quality of our rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal areas continues to decline, says EPA
Water quality in Ireland has further declined. While improvements are being made in some areas, these are being offset by declines in water quality elsewhere. At the current level of progress, Ireland will fail to meet the EU and national goal of restoring all waters to good or better status by 2027 Only just over […]
Ireland should move towards achieving the health-based WHO air quality guidelines
Air quality in Ireland is generally good, however, there are concerning localised issues that are impacting negatively on the air we breathe. Ireland met all of its EU legal requirements in 2021, but it did not meet the new health-based WHO guidelines in 2021. Ireland and Europe should move towards achieving the health-based WHO air […]
EPA calls for urgent measures to tackle packaging waste
Ireland generated over one million tonnes of packaging waste in 2020, for the fourth year in a row. Ireland is continuing to achieve high levels of recycling for glass (84%), paper/cardboard (78%) and metal packaging (71%). Plastics present a serious challenge. Only 29% of plastic packaging waste was recycled in 2020, a long way off […]
EPA data shows Ireland’s 2021 Greenhouse Gas Emissions above pre-Covid levels
Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions increased by 4.7 per cent in 2021 compared to 2020 and are now 1.1 per cent above 2019 pre-COVID restriction levels. Emissions from the Energy Industries sector increased by 17.6 per cent in 2021, driven by a tripling of coal and oil use in electricity generation. Agriculture emissions increased by 3.0 […]
EPA Greenhouse Gas emissions projections highlight the need for urgent implementation of climate plans and policies
EPA Projections data indicate that: Total greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to have increased by 6 per cent in 2021. Planned policies and measures, if fully implemented, could deliver up to 28 per cent (4 per cent per annum) emissions reduction up to 2030. Ireland can comply with its 2030 EU emissions reduction target only […]
