Water quality and the marine scored the lowest in a “report card” commissioned by Friends of the Earth on Government progress on its own climate and environmental promises.
This year’s grading of “C plus” represents “moderate progress” and is a “small improvement” on the C grading awarded last year.
The grading was carried out for Friends of the Earth by experts who annually assessed the Government’s implementation of commitments in the Programme for Government.
The group said there was a significant improvement in the “Energy” category, one of nine subject areas.
The Government’s highest scores came in the categories of “Waste and Circular Economy” (7.5 - down from 8.5 last year), “Energy” (7 - a significant improvement from 4 last year) “Buildings” (7 - up from 6 last year) and “Air Quality” (7 - same as last year).
The lowest scoring categories were “Agriculture and Forestry (4 - same as last year) where the Government is now “flirting with failure”, the group says, and “Water and Marine (5 - marginally up from 4.5 last year).
Commitments on drinking and waste water are “in danger of not being achieved by this Government”, the group says.
It notes that Ireland’s water quality worsened in 2022 compared to 2021, with dangerous nitrate and phosphate concentrations in many of Ireland’s river sites, estuarine, and coastal water bodies.
Chair of the assessment panel, Dr Cara Augustenborg from UCD said that “we’re accustomed to hearing nothing but bad news when it comes to Ireland’s environmental record, but taking a deep dive inside the Government’s work since 2020 provides clear evidence that progress is being made to improve Ireland’s environmental health in most areas”.
“It’s frustrating that this work is not yet apparent in people’s lives and we’re not seeing the transformational changes needed to address the climate and biodiversity emergency,”she said.
“However, if the Government doubles down on their efforts through intense and sustained effort, we could be living in a more sustainable Ireland within the decade. The question is whether or not the Government’s will is strong enough to accomplish this in the short time remaining.”
Dr Paul Deane from University College Cork said the review “gives us cause for hope but not a reason for celebration”.
“Ireland’s greenhouse gas pollution has reduced marginally this year, but we are still massively addicted to fossil fuels. However, we are seeing a positive foundation for a cleaner future being put in place,” he said.
Dr Diarmuid Torney from Dublin City University said that “three years on from the formation of the Government, we see a mixed picture”.
“Although a good foundation is being laid, and there is solid progress in some areas, overall delivery is slower than I would have liked to see approximately two-thirds of the way through the Government’s term in office,” he said.
Oisín Coghlan, Friends of the Earth chief executive who commissioned the assessment, said that it showed that “time is running out fast for this Government to fulfil its climate and environmental commitments”.
“The coalition leaders need to be upfront with people that a certain amount of inconvenience and disruption is unavoidable now, in order to prevent climate chaos and destruction down the line,” he said.
“My fear is party leaders will become more timid as elections approach, when what we need now is honesty and courage,” Coghlan said.
