Environment and Ireland's National Development Plan 2007-2013

During the lifetime of Ireland's National Development Plan 2007-2013 a number of environmental issues will come to the fore:

By 2010:
The EU National Emissions Ceiling Directive has set a limit for Ireland of 65 kilotonnes nitrogen oxide for 2010. In the absence of increased investment in and take up of public transport and renewable energy, the country's rapidly increasing traffic and fuel consumption will literally drive Ireland over the emissions ceiling. In the 14 years to 2004, Ireland's transport related fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions doubled, as did vehicle numbers.

By 2012:
The Kyoto Protocol requires Ireland to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2012, but at the moment cars usage, heating and industry are driving up emissions. To meet its commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions Ireland needs to purchase 18 million carbon credits and increase the use of renewable energy.

By 2015:
The Water Framework Directive requires that Ireland protect, enhance and restore all bodies of surface water by 2015. River and estuary eutrophication remains a problem in Ireland. One of the primary causes is poor agricultural practice. This may improve under the recently introduced Nitrates Action Programme coupled with an increased uptake in the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (Reps) by farmers. Even so, it is unclear whether Ireland will be able to meet the Directive's requirement.

By 2016:
The Landfill Directive requires Ireland to reduce the landfilling of biodegradable waste to 35 per cent of its 1995 level by 2016. Being a prolific waste generator and overly landfill dependent, Ireland may not meet this Directive either.

The National Development Plan (NDP) 2007 - 2013 has made provisions for improving, encouraging and investing in public transport, renewable energy and better waste management, along with the purchase of carbon credits. Whether this will be enough has yet to be seen. Check back here in 10 years...

This is a summarised version of an article by Fiona Gartland in The Irish Times, Home News pages, 31 Jan 2006.

• NDP Chapter 6 - Environmental Sustainability (PDF, 14 pages, 263KB)
  

Ireland and Agenda 21

The report Sustainable Development: A Strategy for Ireland (PDF, 267 pages, 1.8MB), published in 1997, provides for each of Ireland's local authorities to complete Local Agenda 21 Plans for their areas. Agenda 21 officers are engaged by each local authority to coordinate work on the plan.

Two examples of Local Agenda 21 plans include those by County Meath and Dublin City. In 2001 Dublin City Council further committed itself to Local Agenda 21 principles in the Publication 'Dublin's Choice: A Better Future' (PDF, 68 pages, 5MB).

• Check out the Support Page for the Local Agenda 21 Processes in Ireland
• Background to Local Agenda 21
• Learn about Ireland's progress on Local Agenda 21
• Get involved: Dublin City Council in association with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government administers the Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Fund (LA21 EPF). This offers funding for community based projects that promote the principles of Local Agenda 21 at a community level.

Ireland's progress on Agenda 21

• Read a Short SWOT Analysis of the State of Ireland in terms of Agenda 21
• The UN's 1997 review of Ireland's progress on Local Agenda 21.
• The Irish Response to Agenda 21 - Ireland's responses are slow and some changes are needed to successfully progress Local Agenda 21 (this article doesn't have a date so it could be quite old)
• Local Sustainable Development on the island of Ireland - a cross border review, 2004 (PDF, 144 pages)
  

Also on Only One Ireland:

• Background to Agenda 21
• Ireland and Agenda 21
  

Agenda 21 - bringing home the Earth Summits

One product of 1992's Rio Earth Summit (also know as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development 1992) was an action plan for the 21st Century, called Agenda 21. Ireland was one of many countries to sign the charter. In doing so Ireland committed to the principles of sustainable development and increased local action on initiatives such as recycling and reducing energy use. While one of the major aims of Local Agenda 21 is to protect fragile ecosystems and environments, its broad remit ranges from fair wealth distribution and human rights to encouraging sustainable travel.

In each country, Local Agenda 21 is driven at both Government and local levels. According to Peter Doran, a member of Northern Ireland's Local Agenda 21 Advisory Group:

Local Agenda 21 is about bringing the United Nations 'Earth Summits' (Rio in 1992 and New York in 1997) home to our communities.

One of his articles, What is Local Agenda 21?, lists 14 target achievements of the plan. Of these, the one that's closest to Only One Ireland's heart is that:

The diversity of nature is valued and protected.

• More about Ireland and Agenda 21
• Learn about Ireland's progress on Agenda 21