People in Ireland feel that ‘others’ – such as future generations or people far away – are more threatened by climate change than themselves in the here and now.
This means that many people underestimate the immediate risks and already-occurring effects of climate change here in Ireland.
The youngest adults (18-24 years) consistently exhibit significantly higher levels of concern, with young women most concerned about climate change.
People in Ireland support climate change policies. Where opposition to climate policies arise, it appears to be driven by practical concerns, rather than by scepticism or suspicion of the science of climate change.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published two insight reports from its ‘Climate Change in the Irish Mind’ study. The reports ‘Climate Change in the Irish Mind – Support for Climate Policies’ and ‘Climate Change in the Irish Mind – Climate Risk Perceptions’ provide a detailed examination of some of the findings of the baseline study published in 2021.
The insight reports show that despite high levels of concern among the Irish public about climate change and high levels of overall support for climate action, there is a sense that ‘others’, or people in other countries and people in the future, will be more impacted than Irish people in the here and now. The reality is that climate change is already having real and measurable impacts on people in Ireland, and this is likely to increase in the future without concerted action.
The reports also show that among a minority of people (on average 30%) there is opposition to specific climate policies reflecting practical concerns such as the feasibility of electrifying home heating and transport.
Launching the reports, Dr. Eimear Cotter, Director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence & Assessment said: “This assessment indicates that the majority of people in Ireland support climate policies. People who oppose climate policies are not, however, climate deniers and opposition does not appear to be reflective of underlying concerns or suspicions around climate change. Rather, it appears to be specific to localised concerns and issues which must be addressed to enact major climate change policies”.
She added, “Today’s report also shows that there is an ‘othering’ or disconnection from the impacts of climate change. People believe that it will harm people in the future, far away, animals and plants, other people, and lastly themselves personally. This shows how important it is to convey the immediacy of the threat of climate change to people, that each of us is already being impacted by it and will be increasingly impacted into the future unless action is taken now”.
The Climate Change in the Irish Mind insight reports focus on the national responses to risk perceptions and policy support.
Speaking about the findings Dr. Conor Quinlan, Senior Manager in the Office of Evidence and Assessment said: “Age is the biggest factor in determining how concerned people are about climate change. The youngest adults (18-24 years) consistently exhibit significantly higher levels of concern and risks perceptions in relation to climate, with young women disproportionately concerned about climate change. And unlike some groups, they act on these concerns: young people’s consumer choices and purchasing patterns reflect their perception of climate change as a major risk”.
The insight reports can be found on the EPA website, HERE and HERE.
Private drinking water quality is not as good as public water quality.
The total number of small private supplies remains unknown as not all have registered with their local authority.
Eighty four percent of registered small private supplies were monitored in 2022, compared with seventy five percent in 2021.
The government review of the rural water sector identified several key issues in the provision of rural water that need to be addressed to protect public health.
The EPA today released the Drinking Water Quality in Private Group Schemes and Small Private Supplies 2022 report. Drinking water is provided to approximately 200,000 people across rural communities in Ireland, by over 380 group water schemes.
In addition, many rural commercial and public activities such as schools, creches, nursing homes, pubs and restaurants have their own drinking water wells. There are 1,700 small private supplies registered with local authorities, but the total number of small private supplies remains unknown, as many suppliers haven’t registered their supply.
Local authorities are required to monitor registered supplies annually and whilst 84% of private supplies were monitored in 2022, up from 75% in 2021, the results highlight ongoing issues with the quality of private drinking water supplies:
E.coli
Meeting E.coli standards is a basic requirement in the provision of safe drinking water. In 2022, fourteen private group schemes were found to have E. coli contamination, indicating that the water supply has not been properly disinfected. The failure of these disinfection systems put the health of approximately 5,500 people that use these drinking water supplies at risk.
Trihalomethanes (THM)
In 2022, 16 private group schemes supplying 14,000 people failed the standard for Trihalomethanes (THMs). THMs are formed when natural organic matter in the water source, such as vegetation, reacts with chlorine used in the disinfection treatment process. THM levels should comply with the drinking water quality standards, while ensuring that the water is fully disinfected. Actions to prevent THM failures need to be prioritised by suppliers, to protect public health.
Commenting on the findings of the report, Dr Tom Ryan, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “It is a local public health concern that private drinking water quality hasn’t improved in recent years despite the availability of public funding to support upgrades to water supplies. In addition, as there is no legal requirement to register private drinking water supplies, it is not possible to quantify the full extent of the risk to public health. The registration of private supplies needs to become a legally enforceable obligation on the supplier.”
A review of the rural water sector was completed in January 2023 on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The review identified several significant issues that need to be addressed to improve drinking water compliance and reduce public health risk in private water supplies. The key issues identified by the review are outlined below:
All private water supplies should be registered with the local authority.
Access to funding for water quality improvements varies greatly across local authorities resulting in available funding not being used.
Measures are needed to improve management at underperforming private group schemes.
Mr Noel Byrne, Programme Manager of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “The EPA welcomes the completion of the rural water sector review by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The review has highlighted several issues that are contributing to poor water quality in private supplies. It is crucial that these issues, relating to registration, funding and management are addressed so that private water supplies meet required standards and public health is protected.”
Construction waste is Ireland’s largest waste stream, and current recycling rates are too low.
Implementation of new national end-of-waste criteria will reduce construction waste going to landfills, and increase recycling rates.
Use of end-of-waste criteria for recycled aggregates will support green procurement in the built environment.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published National End-of-Waste Criteria for Recycled Aggregates*. *Aggregates meaning materials formed from a mass of fragments or particles loosely compacted together.
The criteria apply to aggregates recycled from construction and demolition waste, including soil and stone, concrete, bricks and ceramics. These criteria will allow for the safe reclassification of recycled aggregates from a waste to a product, which can be subsequently placed on the market.
There is a strong demand for recycled aggregates in Ireland to support development of new infrastructure with a low carbon footprint. The criteria allow for the replacement of virgin aggregates with recycled aggregates, in uses such as general fill, road construction, railway ballast and other non-structural uses.
Keeping materials in use is one of the fundamental elements of a circular economy. These criteria support and facilitate increased recycling in the construction, demolition and waste sectors.
Commenting on the criteria, Mr Micheál Lehane, [Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Sustainability], said: “The publication of national end-of-waste criteria for recycled aggregates is a significant milestone for both the EPA and industry. The criteria will help tackle construction waste, the largest waste stream in the country and support the development of markets for recyclable materials. This is the type of progress which is needed if Ireland is to move in a meaningful way from the linear to the circular economy.”
End-of-waste criteria for recycled aggregates will also support national green procurement ambitions. A publicly-available register on the EPA website will enable buyers to confidently choose a registered supplier of quality recycled aggregates.
Mr Warren Phelan, [Programme Manager of the EPA’s Circular Economy Programme] noted: “The publication of the criteria show the EPA’s commitment to streamlining the regulation of secondary products. This represents a shift away from the assessment of case-by-case applications to a national criteria available to all authorised producers. These criteria will introduce a level playing field for industry and introduce a single set of rules that are easy to implement.”
The EPA calls on industry and the waste sector to now adopt, implement and build upon the criteria established.
Further information on the national end-of-waste criteria and other initiatives of the circular economy programme are available on the EPA website HERE.
According to ‘The Economist’, latter a British weekly newspaper printed in magazine format and published digitally; Ireland is winning the EU ‘economic pentathlon’. The publication which focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology and culture. considers Ireland the best prepared country to face an economic downturn and best situated to drive long-term growth.
Image courtesy ‘The Economist’newspaper.
They state that European economies are in for a future troubling few years, while Germany is probably already in recession.
The European Commission is forecasting growth of just 0.8% for the EU as a whole, this year, and possibly a little more next year, 2024. Inflation is declining very slowly, which prompted the European Central Bank (ECB) to raise its rates yet again at its last September meeting. ‘The Economist’ newspaper claims that overall business confidence continues to worsen, resulting in the European Commission asking the ECB’s former boss, Mr Mario Draghi, to now come up with a plan to strengthen Europe’s economy.
Lidl the German international discount retail chain, headquartered in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, which operates over 12,000 stores worldwide, one of which is here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary; will shortly unveil a welcome return to what was once an old habit in Thurles Town.
The multinational shopping chain is expected to shortly unveil the introduction of reverse vending machines. Here in Thurles, following completion of work currently in progress; bottles and cans regularly dumped in hedges, ditches, along road sides or thrown over garden walls will soon become valuable commodities.
Cans, dumped by careless individuals in Thurles, soon to be worth money.
Customers may deposit their empty plastic bottles and drink cans and receive voucher credits to spend in-store, with each bottle or can deposited, earning its owner, between 10 and 15 cent per item deposited.
So the wheel, once again, comes full circle, with this situation returning to what it was in the past; returning empties for cash deposits, thus helping to tidy up our town and country landscapes.
Our congratulations to Lidl on this major initiative, which requires huge investment to introduce.
However, one wonders are we now so wealthy as adult individuals; so as to bother with garnering loose change in the form of our island’s abundant, discarded matter? Perhaps, as before, children will grab hold and take advantage of this initiative to increase their personal sweet purchasing power.
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