Policy information
Environmental Protection
From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
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The government designs and implements policies which deal with a range of environmental issues including air quality, noise, industrial emissions, hazardous chemicals, and genetically modified organisms. It is also responsible for managing the Environment Fund and distributing its revenues across a number of environmental initiatives.
The Waste Management (Amendment) Act, 2001 provides for the establishment of an Environment Fund, to be managed and controlled by the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. Revenues from the levies on plastic shopping bags and the landfill of waste are paid into the Fund, which may be utilised, for a range of purposes. These include assistance in the following areas:
- schemes to prevent/reduce waste
- waste recovery activities
- research and development into waste management
- production, distribution or sale of products deemed to be less harmful to the environment than other similar products
- development of producer initiatives to prevent/reduce waste arising from their activities
- implementation of waste management plans
- enforcement of legislation relating to waste management, prevention of litter or protection of the environment
- partnership projects, that involve local authorities, to improve the quality of the environment for local communities
- promotion of awareness of the need to protect the environment, including national and regional campaigns
- promotion / support of education and training to assist achievement of campaign objectives
- resources (human or material) to enable education and training to be carried out
- initiatives undertaken by community groups and others for protection of the environment
- such other purposes for protection of the environment as may be prescribed by the Minister through regulations
Environment Fund Accounts are prepared on an annual basis. These accounts are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General and laid before the Oireachtas.
Poor air quality is a major health risk. It can cause lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Children, the elderly, and people who suffer from asthma and other respiratory conditions are most affected. Air pollution can also have economic and environmental impacts. Ireland has already taken many steps to tackle air pollution and is currently considering additional policy options. The aim of these is to ensure that we reduce the amount of certain pollutants to meet our EU and international targets by 2030. Air quality monitoring in Ireland is carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), however local authorities may also carry out monitoring in their local areas. Data from all EPA monitoring stations is available online at all times on its Air Quality Index.
The National Clean Air Strategy will set out a framework for how all government departments can work to reduce air pollution and promote cleaner air. It will work alongside other plans, such as the National Air Pollution Control Programme and the National Energy and Climate Plan, to tackle the key challenges of air pollution. These include:
- Transport emissions, especially road transport emissions of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5)
- Emissions from industry, agriculture, and shipping
- The persistent problem of “smoky” emissions from burning solid fuel in homes
Find out more about Air Quality in Ireland.
Environmental noise is unwanted or harmful outdoor sound created by human activities. This includes noise emitted by means of transport, road and rail traffic, air traffic, and noise from sites of industrial activity. It does not include noise that is caused by the exposed person, noise from domestic activities, noise created by neighbours, noise at workplaces, or noise inside means of transport or due to military activities inside military areas.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified noise as the second most significant environmental cause of ill health. Scientific research into understanding the impacts of noise is increasingly showing that prolonged exposure to Noise pollution reduces people’s quality of life and harms their health. The WHO Regional Office for Europe has developed a set of guidelines based on the growing understanding of these health impacts of exposure to environmental noise. The EPA funded Noise-Health research project is assessing the noise-health relationship in a national context.
To tackle the issue of environmental noise pollution in Ireland, the government transposed EU Directive 2002/49/EC into Irish Law through the European Communities (Environmental Noise) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 549 of 2018,) as amended. The Regulations aim to provide a common framework across Europe to avoid, prevent or reduce the harmful effects of environmental noise. The Regulations set out a two-stage process for addressing environmental noise:
1. Strategic Noise Mapping: noise must be assessed through the preparation of strategic noise maps for areas and infrastructure falling within defined criteria, e.g. large agglomerations major roads, railways and airports.
2. Noise Action Plans: based on the results of the mapping process, the Regulations require the preparation of noise action plans for each area concerned. The fundamental objective of action plans is the prevention and reduction of environmental noise.
Every five years, from the date of preparation of the noise maps and action plans, and whenever there is a major development affecting noise, the maps and plans are required to be reviewed and revised, if necessary.
National Authority
The government has designated the EPA as the National Authority for the purposes of the Environmental Noise Regulations, as amended. The Agency's role includes supervisory, advisory and coordination functions in relation to both noise mapping and action planning, as well as reporting requirements to the European Environment Agency (EEA).
Noise Mapping Bodies and Action Planning Authorities
The government has also designated primary responsibility for both noise mapping and action planning to local authorities. While a number of other bodies, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail), Dublin Airport Authority (daa) also have noise mapping functions, they will be carried out on behalf of the local authorities concerned. Local authorities are responsible for handling complaints in their respective areas.
A noise nuisance is “a noise so loud, so continuous, so repeated, of such pitch or duration or occurring at such times that it gives a person reasonable cause for annoyance”. The Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992 identifies noise as a form of environmental pollution. The Act contains provisions for dealing with noise “which is a nuisance, or would endanger human health or damage property or harm the environment”. There are a number of courses of action that individuals may take when dealing with a noise issue. This will depend on the nature of the noise and the status of the complainant.
How to make a noise complaint.
The Industrial Emissions Directive sets out rules around the integrated prevention and control of pollution arising from industrial activities. It also lays down rules designed to prevent or reduce emissions into air, water and land and rules to prevent the generation of waste, in order to achieve a high level of protection for the environment. Regulations provide for applications for licenses, reviews of licenses or revised licenses, consideration by the EPA of objections, including the holding of oral hearings, public participation procedures associated with the industrial emissions licensing system administered by the Agency and the contents of the register of licenses. The Directive revises the legislation relating to industrial installations in order to simplify and clarify the existing provisions, reduce unnecessary administrative burden and implement the conclusions of the Commission Communications on the Thematic Strategies on Air Pollution, Soil Protection and on the Prevention and Recycling of Waste. The EU Commission Communications set objectives to protect human health and the environment and which could not be met without further reductions in emissions arising from industrial activities.
People come into contact with a variety of chemicals from environmental sources and everyday consumer products. Some of these chemicals are hazardous to health so regulations and policies to ensure the sound use and management of chemicals are vital. The responsibility for Ireland’s national chemicals regulatory framework is shared among a number of government departments and agencies. These include the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI), the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), and the EPA.
At an international level, Ireland has ratified the following UN chemicals conventions and DECC is responsible for ensuring that Ireland has a national policy and regulatory framework in place to meet the requirement of those conventions under National and EU law. The UN Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade is an environmental agreement which promotes the environmentally sound use of specified hazardous chemicals and pesticides. The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is a global treaty aimed at protecting human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs are toxic chemicals that persist in the environment after use and cannot easily be removed. Exposure to these chemicals can lead to cancer and other disorders. POPs are regulated at EU (Regulation (EU) 2019/1021) and national (S.I. No. 146/2020) levels and the EPA is responsible for their regulation in Ireland.
Mercury and most of its compounds are extremely toxic and can cause severe environmental damage. The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from mercury released by human actions. The convention aims to ensure that the use mercury and its compounds are phased out and that mercury waste is disposed of safely. This includes the intention to phase down the use of mercury in dental amalgam (a material used in silver fillings in teeth) and restricting the use of mercury in products, such as batteries, lamps and non-electronic measuring devices. Mercury is regulated at EU level and nationally.
Implementation of national policy is shared by a number of bodies including the EPA and local authorities, while the Dental Council provides industry guidance.
The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals (SAICM) is a voluntary international policy framework with membership which includes 175 countries (including Ireland), NGOs, Industry and other interested parties. The aim is to achieve the sound management of chemicals worldwide so that chemicals will be produced and used in ways that minimises significant negative impacts on the environment and human health.
A Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) is any organism whose genetic material has been modified using genetic techniques. Ireland is a Party to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity. This international treaty governs the movements of GMOs from one country to another and is an agreement under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. GMO regulation crosses over a number of areas and DECC works with other government departments and agencies including the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and the Environmental Protection Authority in ensuring that GMOs are properly regulated in Ireland.
National Legislation and EU law relating to the deliberate release of GMOs into the environment and the contained use of GMOs includes:
- Directive 98/81/EC on the contained use of genetically modified micro-organisms which was transposed into Irish law under the Genetically Modified (Contained Use) Regulations 2001 (S.I. No. 73 of 2001)
- Directive 2001/18/EC, as amended, on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms which was transposed into Irish Law as the GMO (Deliberate Release) Regulations (S.I. No 500 of 2003), as amended
- Regulation 1946/2003 on the transboundary movement of GMOs which is regulated in Ireland under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Transboundary Movement) Regulations 2004 (S.I. No. 54 of 2004)
Radon is a radioactive gas formed in the ground by the radioactive decay of uranium present in the underlying rocks and soils. It is the greatest source of exposure to ionising radiation for the general public in Ireland and the leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. It is estimated that exposure to radon accounts for approximately 350 lung cancer cases each year.
Recognising the scale of the radon problem in Ireland, an inter-agency group was set up in 2011 and tasked with developing a strategy to address the radon problem in Ireland. The resulting National Radon Control Strategy (NRCS) was published in February 2014, and arising from this, a cross-Departmental and Agency Co-ordination Group was tasked with implementing the key recommendations of the Strategy’s Action Plan.
Phase 1 covered the period from April 2014 to April 2018. Phase 2 of the Strategy covers 2019 to 2024 and was launched at the National Radon Forum in May 2019.
The NRCS is statutorily based, provided for by Regulation 64 of the Radiological Protection Act 1991 (Ionising Radiation) Regulations 2019 (S.I. No. 30 of 2019).
The overarching objective of the NRCS was and continues to be "to minimise the exposure to radon gas for people in Ireland and to reduce to the greatest extent practicable the incidence of radon related lung cancers".
Phase 2 of the Strategy contains recommendations on a broad range of measures aimed at reducing the risk from radon to people living in Ireland. These are set out in five thematic areas, as follows:
1. Radon prevention in new buildings
2. Use of property transactions to drive action on radon
3. Communications and advocacy
4. Promoting confidence in radon services
5. Radon in workplaces and public buildings
Much of the focus of work during this time has been on laying the foundations needed to pave the way for Strategic Actions that will be most effective in reducing indoor radon levels between 2022 to 2024 and beyond. Significant work has been completed but a substantial effort will be needed by many stakeholders to progress the implementation of the strategy to better protect citizens of Ireland.
National Radon Control Strategy Phase Two: 2019-2024 Mid-term Report to Government
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Further information is available on the EPA website.
Minister Ryan takes steps to protect our environment and our energy security of supply by requesting the EPA to prioritise consideration of licence applications relating to energy generation projects.
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, TD, has issued a General Policy Directive to the Environmental Protection Agency under section 79 of the EPA Act 1992. The intention of the General Policy Directive is to support the Agency to protect the environment from the adverse impact that a failure of electricity supply would have on the environment taken as a whole, in line with Article 1 of the Industrial Emissions Directive. As well as instructing the Agency to prioritise energy generation in its licensing functions (for environmental protection purposes), the Directive asks the Agency to consider the protection of the environment taken as a whole in carrying out its range of environmental protection functions connected with our energy security of supply. A copy of the General Policy Directive is available below.