World population (1.1)
Global population figures for 1950-2021 were taken from the “World Population Prospect 2022” published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. All population data refer to July 1st of the relevant year.
World child mortality (1.2)
Child mortality rates were taken from the “World Population Prospect 2022” published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. These figures for 1950-2021 refer to the number of deaths of children (male and female combined) before age five per 1,000 live births.
World life expectancy (1.3)
Life expectancy figures were taken from the “World Population Prospect 2022” published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. These figures for 1950-2021 refer to the life expectancy at birth of all children combined.
World temperatures (1.4)
This indicator shows absolute annual changes in the average near-surface temperatures for the globe. Near-surface air temperature gives one of the clearest and most consistent signals of global climate change especially in recent decades. It has been measured for many decades and a dense network of stations across the globe provides regular monitoring for temperatures, using standardised measurements, quality control and homogeneity procedures.
The annual temperature variations reflect climate variability due to natural forces such as volcanic eruptions, solar activity or the El Nino Southern Oscillations but scientists believe that anthropogenic influence, mainly through greenhouse gas emissions, is responsible for most of the observed increase in global average temperatures in recent decades.
The 2015 Paris Agreement defined the long-term goal of limiting global warming to “hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2o Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the rise in temperature increase to 1.5o Celsius above pre-industrial levels” (using 1850-1899 data as a proxy for pre-industrial levels).
Three datasets are used to map deviations in global average near-surface temperatures: (1) the Met Office Hadley Centre and Climatic Research Unit (HadCRUT4); (2) NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISTEMP); and (3) The National Centres for Environmental Information at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States (NOAA Global Temperature).
World Greenhouse gas emissions (1.5)
Carbon dioxide is the main contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Other greenhouse gases can be converted into tonnes of CO2 equivalent by multiplying their masses by their global warming potentials.
Each of these gases is regulated by global environmental agreements: the Kyoto Protocol running from 2008-2012; a second Kyoto Commitment Period running from 2013-2020; and an agreement adopted in Paris in 2015 which came into force in 2020.
This indicator contains data for selected countries and regions specified in Annex 1 of the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Annex 1 countries are industrialised countries that were members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in 1992 plus countries with economies in transition, including the Russian Federation, the Baltic States, and several Central and Eastern European States.
Environment taxes (2.1)
An environment tax is defined by Regulation (EU) 691/2011 as: “a tax whose tax base is a physical unit (or a proxy of a physical unit) of something that has a proven, specific negative impact on the environment, and which is identified in the European System of Accounts as a tax.”
Once a tax base has been included in the list of environment tax bases, any tax levied on that base is considered an environment tax, irrespective of the motivation behind it. A list of Environment tax bases was agreed by Eurostat, the EU Commission, the OECD and the International Energy Agency and has been periodically revised.
There are four main types of environment taxes: Energy; Transport; Pollution and Resource taxes.
A carbon tax was introduced by the Irish government in 2010, which placed a tax on auto-diesel, petrol, aviation gasoline, kerosene, marked gas oil, fuel oil, LPG (Other), Auto LPG, and natural gas.
Environmental subsidies and similar transfers (2.2)
Subsidies or transfers arise where goods, services and assets are provided without receiving any good, service or asset in return as a direct counterpart. National Accounts distinguish between two types of transfers: current transfers which affect the level of disposable income; and capital transfers which are transfers linked to the acquisition (or disposal) of fixed assets.
The United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Central Framework defines an Environmental Transfer as a “current or capital transfer that is intended to support activities which protect the environment or reduce the use and extraction of natural resources” (SEEA 2012 S 4.138).
The figures in Indicator 2.2 include current transfers, capital transfers and tax abatements from both the Irish Government and the European Union.
Environmental transfers were classified according to nine CEPA (Classification of Environmental Protection Activities) and nine CReMA (Classification of Resource Management Activities) categories.
Environmental transfers in Indicator 2.3 are aggregated from these CEPA and CReMA classifications into transfers associated with the production of energy from renewable sources; waste water management; protection of biodiversity and landscape; heat/energy saving and management; and other transfers.
Average effective carbon rate by type of fuel (2.3)
The average effective carbon rate of a fuel is defined as net energy tax receipts divided by total tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted through combustion of the fuel.
The energy taxes included are Excise Duty, Carbon Tax, Electricity Tax, the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) Levy, the Public Service Obligation (PSO) Levy and emission permit purchases under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
Fossil fuel subsidies (2.4)
This indicator contains data on fossil fuel subsidies as well as data on environment taxes and subsidies used in Indicators 2.1 and 2.2.
A subsidy is a fossil fuel subsidy if it is likely to incentivise fossil fuel activities.
Fossil fuel activities include exploration, extraction, manufacturing, refining and distribution of fossil fuels on the production side, as well as research and development supporting any of the above. Fossil fuel consumption by all sectors of the economy is also fossil fuel activity.
Supports are divided into direct supports such as investment grants, and indirect supports such as tax expenditures. Data on direct supports were mainly obtained from government appropriation accounts, the annual accounts of government departments and agencies, and through requests to the relevant government department or organisation. An example of a direct subsidy is the PSO Levy support to electricity generation from peat.
Indirect supports (or tax expenditures) are defined relative to a system of benchmark taxes. Benchmark tax rates are the standard, conventional rates applied to economic transactions and activities in the economy. Indirect supports are reductions in potential revenue due to deviations from these standard rates. These lower rates are intended to incentivise behaviour that meets particular policy objectives. An example of an indirect support is the reduced excise duty on autodiesel compared with petrol.
Consumer price and harmonised price indices for energy products (2.5)
The Consumer Price Index is designed to measure the change in the average level of prices (inclusive of all indirect taxes) paid for consumer goods and services by all private and institutional households in the country and by foreign tourists holidaying in Ireland. In 2022, approximately 51,000 prices were collected for a representative basket consisting of 615 item headings.
Personal visits are made to retail outlets by some 80 price collectors on a monthly basis. Approximately 48,000 price quotations are gathered in this way. This is complemented by price files received directly from large retailers each month as well as manual internet pricing. In addition, 137 special inquiries covering items such as utility charges and services are conducted by post, telephone and e-mail in conjunction with internet price collection.
Domestic material consumption (2.6)
Domestic extraction refers to the annual amount of solid, liquid and gaseous raw materials (except for water and air) extracted from the national territory to be used as material factor inputs in economic processing i.e. acquiring value within the economic system. These materials consist of biomass, construction and industrial minerals, gross ores and fossil fuels. Concerning the water content of the raw materials, the convention is to account for all raw materials in fresh weight, with the exception of grass harvest, fodder directly taken up by ruminants, and timber harvest.
Domestic material consumption (DMC) measures the annual amount of raw materials extracted from the domestic territory of the national economic area, plus all goods imports minus all goods exports.
Fish landings (2.7)
The figures in this Indicator refer to all sea fish landings by Irish vessels in Irish ports. These data were obtained by the CSO from the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority Statistics Unit.
The data are presented as tonnes of live weight equivalent. The data are calculated using the weight of fish landed at port, which is multiplied by a conversion factor depending on species.
Aquaculture and inland fisheries are excluded from this set of figures.
Building energy ratings (2.8)
A Building Energy Rating (BER) is an indication of the energy performance of a dwelling (represented in units of kWh/m2/year). Actual energy performance will depend on how the occupants operate the dwelling. A BER is based on the characteristics of major components of the dwelling including: wall, roof and floor dimensions; window and door sizes and orientations, as well as the construction type and insulation, ventilation and air tightness features; the system for heat supply (including renewable energy), distribution, and control; and the type of lighting. The BER certificate indicates the annual primary energy usage and carbon dioxide emissions associated with the provision of space heating, water heating, ventilation, lighting, and associated pumps and fans. The energy use is calculated on the basis of a notional family with a standard pattern of occupancy. A BER only covers electricity used for heating, lighting and ventilation with associated pumps and fans. Electricity used for cooking, refrigeration, laundry and the use of other appliances are not included.
Since 1st January 2009, a BER certificate and advisory report is compulsory for all homes being sold or offered for rent. A BER is also required for new dwellings that apply for planning permission on or after 1st January 2007. A BER certificate is required to avail of the grants for energy-efficiency improvements to the home that are provided under the Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme.
The BER rating scale is divided into categories from G (largest primary energy usage) to an A1 rating (lowest primary energy usage).
A dwelling may have had more than one BER carried out but data in this indicator only include the latest BER published for each dwelling from January 2009 to December 2022.
Domestic metered public water consumption (2.9)
The data used to compile this indicator were based on monthly files of meter readings sent by Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water) to the CSO. The meter readings are in cubic metres. One cubic metre equals one thousand litres. The readings in cubic metres were converted to monthly consumption estimates which were then used to calculate the average and median consumption in litres per meter per day.
The difference between the average and the median gives an indication of the extent of high consumption as the median is less influenced by the small number of meters with very high consumption.
The data used in this indicator only cover metered usage. Apartments without an individual Irish Water meter, many group water schemes, and abstractions from wells are not included. The 2020 data are based on 823,739 meters.
Networked gas consumption (2.10)
This indicator is based on consumption data from Gas Networks Ireland on all connections to the mains gas network including power plants, non-residential and residential customers. There were 691,332 residential gas meters in 2021. The microdata contains quarterly consumption data for residential and smaller non-residential customers and monthly data for larger users.
The data are gross calorific values expressed in gigawatt hours (GWh). A gigawatt hour is equivalent to one million kilowatt hours.
Metered electricity consumption (2.11)
This indicator is based on quarterly metered electricity consumption data for 2015 to 2021. The data were received from the Electricity Supply Board (ESB Networks) for all connections to the mains electricity network, including both residential and non-residential customers. Locations such as bus shelters and street lighting were also used. Daily data were received for a small number of large customers. The data are expressed in gigawatt hours (GWh). A gigawatt hour is equivalent to one million kilowatt hours.
The data received by the CSO were classified by tariff category (DUoS). DG1 is urban domestic and DG2 is rural domestic. However, small commercial customers (newsagents, farms, etc.) are sometimes included in these categories. Hence the total consumption by the residential sector is an over-estimate. The Large Customers category is a combination of DUoS groups DG8, DG9, DG10 and TCON.
Fuel excise clearances (2.12)
Clearances reflect the duty paid amounts of oil removed from tax warehouses. Clearances data provide a proxy for sales and the associated level of consumption but do not reflect actual consumption per se. First, clearances relate to Irish duty paid product. They do not include consumption on which Irish taxes have not been paid. Second, clearances reflect the timing of withdrawals of product from warehouses by manufacturers rather than the timing of consumption.
Excise duties are indirect taxes on the sale or use of specific products e.g. alcohol, tobacco, and mineral oils. They are usually applied as an amount per quantity of the product. The Revenue Commissioners collect statistics on the volumes of fuel clearances covered by excise taxes.
EU legislation on excise duties was largely prompted by the launch of the Single Market in 1993. EU legislation was adopted to ensure that excise duties for certain products were applied in the same way and to the same products throughout the Single Market, and that Member States applied at least a minimum rate of excise duty. All revenue from excise duties goes entirely to the Member States.
Environmental goods and services sector (2.13)
The Environment Goods and Services Sector (EGSS), sometimes called ‘eco-industries’, encompasses activities in the so-called green economy. These activities generally include the production of renewable energy and energy saving activities such as retrofitting homes, along with the supply of water, treatment of wastewater, handling of waste and the construction of environment-related facilities. EGSS statistics are part of environment accounts which constitute a satellite account to national accounts. This indicator provides estimates for the value at basic prices of gross output.
EGSS in this indicator is compared to modified gross national income (GNI*) at market prices rather than GDP or GNI. GNI* is designed to be a supplementary measure of the level of the Irish economy and excludes globalisation effects related to highly mobile economic activities that disproportionately impact upon the measurement of the size of the Irish economy. The globalisation effects that are excluded from GNI to estimate GNI* are:
- Factor income of redomiciled companies
- Depreciation charged on capitalised R&D service imports and trade in Intellectual Property (IP)
- Depreciation of the aircraft owned by Irish aircraft leasing companies.
Forest wood removals (2.14)
The figures in this indicator are taken from the latest Forest Wood Removals release published by the CSO. Removals include all harvesting including thinnings and storm damage. Data on removals from privately-owned forests are collected by the annual CSO Roundwood Removals Survey. Coillte made a special survey return providing statistics on the removals from publicly-owned forests. Removals by Coillte from privately-owned forests were within the scope of the Roundwood Removals Survey and were classified to privately-owned forests. Removals from Coillte-owned forests were classified to the private sector if the trees were owned by a private enterprise.
Particulate matter (3.1 and 3.2)
There are many sources of particulate matter including vehicle exhaust emissions, soil and road surfaces, construction works and industrial emissions. Particulate matter can be formed from reactions between different pollutant gases. Small particles can penetrate the lungs and cause damage. These are known as PM10 (diameter less than 10µm) and PM2.5 (diameter less than 2.5µm). There are high levels of PM10 in many cities and towns. In smokeless fuel zones, levels of particulate matter decreased after the ban on bituminous coal in Dublin in 1990. The ban was extended to other parts of Ireland subsequently.
Sulphur oxides (3.3 and 3.4)
Indicators 3.3 and 3.4 refer to sulphur oxide emissions measured in units of sulphur dioxide equivalents. The main source of sulphur dioxide in Ireland is burning coal and oil to heat homes and industries and to produce electricity. Levels have decreased over recent years due to increased use of low-sulphur "smokeless" coal, increased use of natural gas instead of solid fuels and reduced industrial emissions through Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) licensing. Sulphur oxides are a group of important ambient air pollutants that comprises both gaseous and particulate chemical species, including sulphur monoxide, sulphur dioxide, sulphur trioxide and disulfur monoxide.
Nitrogen oxides (3.5 and 3.6)
Emissions from traffic are the main source of nitrogen oxides in Ireland along with electricity generating stations and industry. Oxides of nitrogen contribute to the formation of acid rain and of ozone.
Ammonia (3.7 and 3.8)
Ammonia (NH3) emissions are associated with acid deposition and the formation of secondary particulate matter. The agricultural sector accounts for virtually all ammonia emissions in Ireland. Grasslands ultimately receive the bulk of animal manures produced annually in Ireland, along with nitrogen in fertilisers. A proportion of the nitrogen in these inputs is volatilised into the air as ammonia.
Non-methane volatile organic compounds (3.9 and 3.10)
Non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) are emitted as gases from the use of a wide array of products including paints, paint strippers, glues, adhesives and cleaning agents. Several constituents of gasoline are important NMVOCs, which are emitted by combustion and evaporation. NMVOCs also arise as a product of incomplete combustion of other fuels, especially solid fuels and as such there are significant emissions from residential fuel combustion. The principal environmental problem associated with NMVOCs is their contribution to the formation of ground level ozone. Fugitive emissions refer to the release of gases from anthropogenic activities.
Greenhouse gas emissions (4.1 to 4.4)
The emissions of greenhouse gases contribute to global warming. Seven greenhouse gases are regulated by international agreements. These are:
Air emissions in Indicators 4.1 to 4.4 are calculated according to the territorial principle rather than the residence principle.
Territorial emissions are emissions produced on the territory of Ireland. They are reported annually by the Environmental Protection Agency and sent to the United Nations under the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). They are used to determine whether Ireland has met its legally binding emissions targets.
Residence principle emissions are obtained by removing transport emissions emitted by non-resident units on the territory of Ireland from total territorial principle emissions, and by adding transport emissions emitted by Irish resident units abroad.
Non-resident emissions include road transport emissions from fuel sales to owners of non-Irish registered vehicles. Resident emissions abroad include carbon dioxide emissions from flights by Irish airlines originating in countries other than Ireland.
The Irish greenhouse gas emissions are provisional data compiled by the EPA for submission to UNFCCC in 2023 and therefore differ somewhat from those published in the CSO’s Environmental Accounts Air Emissions release in August 2023.
Temperature and annual rainfall (4.5 and 4.6)
The national annual average values of rainfall (from 1941) and air temperature (from 1961) are calculated by Met Éireann using quality-controlled observations of daily rainfall, minimum and maximum air temperatures at the National Weather Observing Stations, operated and maintained by Met Éireann. The averages are determined from a 1km grid of these observations on the land of Ireland. The values are correct at the date of publication but are subject to change upon the inclusion of new datasets, updates from quality-controlled procedures or new data rescued (changes are not limited to these examples).
Bathing water assessment and classification is carried out according to EU Bathing Water Directive 2006/7/EC.
Bathing waters are classified as poor quality when microbiological measurements are worse than the "sufficient" values set out in the directive.
| For inland waters | |||
| Parameter | Excellent quality | Good quality | Sufficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intestinal enterococci (cfu/100 ml) | 200 (*) | 400 (*) | 330 (**) |
| Escherichia coli (cfu/100 ml) | 500 (*) | 1,000 (*) | 900 (**) |
| (*) Based upon a 95-percentile evaluation (**) Based upon a 90-percentile evaluation |
|||
| For coastal waters and transitional waters | |||
| Parameter | Excellent quality | Good quality | Sufficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intestinal enterococci (cfu/100 ml) | 100 (*) | 200 (*) | 185 (**) |
| Escherichia coli (cfu/100 ml) | 250 (*) | 500 (*) | 500 (**) |
| (*) Based upon a 95-percentile evaluation (**) Based upon a 90-percentile evaluation |
|||
Both Escherichia coli and Intestinal enterococci are types of bacteria that live predominantly in the gut of warm blooded animals, including humans. They generally enter the water environment in run-off containing small amounts of faeces from deposition on agricultural land or urban areas, from the land-spreading of manures, or directly from waste water treatment systems and overflows. Their lifetime outside the gut generally ranges from a few hours to a few days depending on sunlight, temperature, and other environmental conditions.
Drinking water quality (5.2)
Trihalomethanes (THM’s) are formed in drinking-water primarily as a result of chlorination of organic matter present naturally in raw water supplies. The rate and degree of THM formation increase as a function of the chlorine and humic acid concentration, temperature, pH and bromide ion concentration.
Before 2004, there was no parametric limit for compliance with levels of THM. In 2009 the limit changed from 150 µg/l (micrograms per litre) to 100 µg/l.
Urban waste water treatment (5.3)
This indicator provides data on the treatment of waste water by approximately 1,100 plants operated by Uisce Éireann. The EPA figures refer to villages, towns and cities and comprises all agglomerations, including those with a population equivalent of less than 500 persons.
Population equivalent is a technical term used to indicate how much waste water is generated in an urban area. It includes waste water generated by the resident population, the non-resident population (for example, tourists) and industries. A population equivalent of one is defined as the organic biodegradable load having a five-day biochemical oxygen demand of 60 grams of oxygen per day.
Agglomeration is defined as an area where the population or economic activities or both are sufficiently concentrated for a waste water works to have been put in place. Waste water works means sewers and their accessories and all other associated structural devices, including waste water treatment plants, which are owned by, vested in, controlled or used by a water services authority, i.e. Uisce Éireann, for the collection, storage, treatment or discharge of waste water.
The Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations 2001-2010 and the 1991 Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) set requirements on the provision of waste water collection systems and treatment plants, provide for the monitoring of waste water discharges and specify limits for certain parameters in these discharges.
The Regulations and UWWTD specify monitoring requirements and set limits on the concentration of biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and total suspended solids in waste water discharges.
River water quality (5.4)
River water is the principal source of drinking water in Ireland. The EPA conducts an assessment of river water quality on behalf of Local Authorities and publishes the figures every three years. Water samples are taken from over 2,000 locations around the country. These biological surveys began in 1971. River water quality is classified into five ecological status classes based on the biological, physico-chemical and hydromorphological status of these water bodies. There are five river water quality standards: high, good, moderate, poor and bad.
Nitrates in groundwater (5.5)
Nitrates can cause serious problems when they end up in groundwater or surface water by causing increased growth of algae and eutrophication of water systems. The drop in oxygen that comes with the presence of nitrates can lead to fish kills. The problem stems from the practice of spreading animal wastes – which contain nitrates in high concentrations – on land to improve crops and pastures.
Land use categories (6.1)
Forest Land
Land Use figures in Indicator 6.1 are compiled by the EPA for its National Inventory Report. The EPA figures are based on overlay of CORINE 1990 data with the General Soils map from 2009.
The forest definition relates to land use rather than land cover, with the result that open space within a forest boundary either permanently or temporarily unstocked with trees, along with felled areas that are awaiting regeneration, are included as forest. Trees grown for fruit or horticulture are excluded (included in cropland). As are non-tree woody species such as furze and rhododendron.
Cropland
The definition of cropland includes “all annual and perennial crops as well as temporary fallow land.” This definition includes crops and temporary grassland managed as part of crop rotation systems. This definition also includes hedgerows associated with cropland systems.
The analysis of cropland area was revised significantly in the EPA’s National Inventory Report in 2016. The revised approach from 2016 onwards is based on a detailed analysis of the Land Parcel Information System (LPIS) data, collated annually by the Department of Agriculture and the Marine.
Grassland
Areas of improved grassland (pasture and areas used for the harvesting of silage and hay) and unimproved grassland (rough grazing) in use are recorded by the CSO’s annual statistics. Semi-natural grassland is estimated using CORINE Land Cover data.
Wetland (including peatland)
Wetland consists of both managed and unmanaged wetlands. Managed wetland areas are commercially exploited for public and private extraction of peat and areas used for the domestic harvesting of peat. Unmanaged wetlands are natural unexploited wetlands.
Settlement
Settlement areas refer to urban areas, roads, airports and the footprint of industrial, commercial/institutional and residential buildings.
Lakes
Lakes are excluded from these land use categories. However, watercourses, intertidal zones, coastal lagoons, salt marshes and estuaries are included. These are either included within Wetlands or Other land depending on the likely vegetation associated with each category.
Other Land
Other land is the residual area when all other land use types have been estimated. It is assumed to include rock and sand areas and hedgerows (unless already reported under agricultural areas).
Forest cover (6.2)
Forest area figures for EU Member States in Indicator 6.2 in 2020 are compiled by Eurostat from data supplied by National Statistical Institutes. The Irish forest figures are based on the National Forest Inventory data collected by the CSO from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The total land area of the state used in this indicator also differs slightly from the figures used in Indicator 6.1.
Forest area is land under natural or planted stands of trees spanning at least one hectare, with trees higher than 5 metres and a canopy density of more than 10%, whether productive or not. It excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems (for example, in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems) and trees in urban parks and gardens.
Organic agricultural land (6.3 and 6.4)
Organic farming is a system of farming which requires the consideration and application of production methods that do not damage the environment; a more respectful use of the countryside; concern for animal welfare; and the production of high quality agricultural products.
Organic agriculture relies on crop rotations, the recycling of farm-produced organic materials i.e. crop residues, animal manure, legumes, green manure and off-farm wastes and on a variety of non-chemical methods for the control of pests, diseases and weeds. Synthetically compounded fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, growth regulators and livestock feed additives are excluded or severely restricted. The products and methods of genetic engineering are also strictly prohibited.
There is a small difference between the figures for the area farmed organically in Ireland in Indicators 6.3 and 6.4. The figures in Indicator 6.3 are based on the Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (formerly the Basic Payment Scheme) administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and refer to utilisable agricultural area, while those in Indicator 6.4 refer to figures collected by Organic Certification Bodies and sent to Eurostat. The Eurostat figures also refer to the total amount of land fully converted or under conversion to organic farming.
Fertiliser sales (6.5 and 6.6)
Well-structured soils that are rich in nutrients are highly fertile. Given sufficient light, warmth and water, they will produce abundant crops. However, the nutrients removed by crops or feeding animals must be replaced or soil fertility will be run down.
Nutrients can be replaced by returning to the soil, plant, animal or human waste, such as sewage sludge, or by adding mineral fertilisers. To grow well, crops need a balanced supply of essential nutrients. The main nutrients used in Ireland are lime, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These and most other nutrients are normally dissolved in water in the soil.
Irish data in Indicator 6.5 refers to the nutrient content of fertiliser sales. This indicator includes lime fertilisers as well as nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. EU data in Indicator 6.6 do not include lime fertilisers. Both Irish and EU data refer to fertiliser sales rather than use.
Livestock numbers (6.7 and 6.8)
Irish data for cattle are obtained by the CSO from Department of Agriculture and the Marine’s Animal Identification and Movement (AIM) system, formerly known as the Cattle Movement Monitoring System (CMMS). This system was introduced at the beginning of 2000 and involves electronically recording data on animal movements. Information on cattle numbers and on flows into and out of the cattle population has been available from this system since December 2002.
Sheep numbers in Ireland were collected by a CSO survey of sheep farmers up until 2017 when the data were taken from the Sheep and Goat survey conducted by the Department of Agriculture and the Marine.
Pig numbers in Ireland have been collected using a specialist pig survey conducted by the CSO since 1973. The survey was conducted on four times a year until 1998 and on a bi-annual basis since then.
New dwelling Completions (6.9)
The primary data source used for the New Dwelling Completions series is the ESB Networks new domestic connections dataset, where the date that the connection is energised determines the date of completion. It is accepted that the ESB domestic connections data set overestimates new dwellings so the CSO has adjusted for this overcount by using additional information from the ESB and other data sources such as Building Energy Rating data compiled by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. The ESB data in this indicator excludes re-connections, unfinished/ghost housing estates and non-dwellings.
Primary energy production (7.1)
Primary energy production refers to the quantities of fuels extracted or produced. It is calculated after any operation for removal of inert matter or impurities (e.g. sulphur from natural gas). It refers only to indigenous production of fuels in Ireland.
Peat is a combustible soft, porous or compressed fossil sedimentary deposit of plant origin with high water content (up to 90% in the raw state), easily cut, of light to dark brown colour.
Natural gas consists of gases, occurring in underground deposits, whether liquefied or gaseous, consisting mainly of methane. It includes both "non-associated" gas originating from fields producing only hydrocarbons in gaseous form and "associated" gas produced in association with crude oil as well as methane recovered from coal mines (colliery gas).
Renewable energy is energy produced from sources that do not deplete or can be replenished within a human’s lifetime. Common examples include wind, hydro and solar energy.
Non-renewable waste refers to the use of the non-renewable portions of waste as an energy source – including, for example, the burning of municipal waste in incinerators to generate electricity.
Final energy consumption (7.2)
Final energy consumption is the total energy consumed by end users, such as households, industry and agriculture. It is the energy which reaches the final consumer.
Final energy consumption excludes energy used by the energy sector, including for deliveries, and transformation. It also excludes fuel transformed in the electrical power stations of industrial auto-producers and coke transformed into blast-furnace gas where this is not part of overall industrial consumption but of the transformation sector.
The “Other” category in Indicator 7.2 refers to consumption of nuclear energy, energy generated from waste and derived heat.
Renewable energy production (7.3 and 7.6)
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources, which are naturally replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. Renewable energy often provides energy in four important areas: electricity generation, air and water heating/cooling, transportation, and rural (off-grid) energy services. Renewable energy sources include the following:
Hydro-power: Potential and kinetic energy of water converted into electricity in hydroelectric plants. Pumped storage is treated separately in the energy balance.
Wind energy: Kinetic energy of wind exploited for electricity generation in wind turbines.
Solid biomass covers organic, non-fossil material of biological origin which may be used as fuel for heat production or electricity generation. It consists of charcoal and wood, wood wastes and other solid wastes. Charcoal covers the solid residue of the destructive distillation and pyrolysis of wood and other vegetal material. Wood, wood wastes and other solid wastes cover purpose-grown energy crops (poplar, willow etc.), a multitude of woody materials generated by an industrial process (wood/paper industry in particular) or provided directly by forestry and agriculture (firewood, wood chips, bark, sawdust, shavings, chips, black liquor etc.) as well as wastes such as tallow, straw, rice husks, nut shells, poultry litter, crushed grape dregs etc.
Combustion is the preferred technological use for these solid wastes. The quantity of fuel used is reported on a net calorific value basis.
Landfill gas: A gas composed principally of methane and carbon dioxide produced by the anaerobic digestion of landfill wastes.
Biogas: A gas composed principally of methane and carbon dioxide produced by anaerobic digestion of biomass, comprising: sewage sludge gas produced from the anaerobic fermentation of sewage sludge and other biogas, such as biogas produced from the anaerobic fermentation of animal slurries and of wastes in abattoirs, breweries and other agri-food industries.
Liquid biofuel covers the following fuels: Bioethanol - ethanol produced from biomass and/or biodegradable fraction of waste; Biodiesel - a diesel quality liquid fuel produced from biomass or used frying oils; Biomethanol - methanol produced from biomass and/or the biodegradable fraction of waste; Biodimethylether - a diesel quality fuel produced from biomass and/or the biodegradable fraction of waste; Biogasoline - a type of gasoline produced from biomass such as algae; and Other Liquid Biofuel - liquid biofuels, used directly as a fuel, not included in biogasoline or biodiesels.
Solar energy: Solar radiation exploited for hot water production and electricity generation by: flat plate collectors, for domestic hot water or for the seasonal heating of swimming pools; photovoltaic cells; solar thermal-electric plants. Passive solar energy for the direct heating, cooling and lighting of dwellings or other buildings is not included.
Geothermal energy: Energy available as heat emitted from within the earth’s crust, usually in the form of hot water or steam. It is exploited at suitable sites: for electricity generation using dry steam or high enthalpy brine after flashing or directly as heat for district heating, agriculture etc. Ground source geothermal energy is included in the category.
Electricity Generation from Renewable Sources (7.4 and 7.5)
Indicator 7.4 refers to the actual share of gross electricity consumption from renewable sources in the year (Gross electricity consumption is defined as electricity generation plus net imports). Indicator 7.5 refers to the normalised share of gross electricity consumption from renewable sources. Normalisation is used to smooth out the weather variations in wind speeds and rainfall from year to year. Wind normalisation also adjusts for the effect of large increases in installed capacity midway through a year.
The normalised figures are reported to Eurostat as progress towards renewable electricity targets and are required by the Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC) and the revised Renewable Energy Directive (2018/2001/EU).
Fuel imports (7.7)
The net fuel import data presented in this table are based upon International Energy Agency/Eurostat /UNECE energy surveys which are carried out by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.
Vehicles under current licence (8.1)
Vehicles under current licence includes private cars, goods vehicles, motorcycles, tractors, dumpers, excavators, public service vehicles, exempt vehicles and other vehicles.
Rail, bus and Luas transport (8.2 and 8.3)
Public bus and coach transport in Ireland refer to large public service vehicles (PSVs) which cover all buses and coaches except those in private use and youth community buses. Public bus transport services consist of Dublin city, provincial cities and towns, and other scheduled and school transport services.
Rail passenger transport figures includes DART services. Luas Green and Red line tram services became operational in Dublin in 2004.
EU data are not applicable for Cyprus and Malta which do not have rail networks.
International air and sea passenger data (8.4)
Sea passenger data refers to international arrivals and departures at Irish sea ports, excluding passengers on cruise ships, commercial traffic or freight. Air passenger data in indicator 8.4 refers to the number of international passengers carried on flights (both scheduled and unscheduled) arriving at and departing from airports in Ireland.
Means of travel to work (8.5)
The data are from the Census of Population question: “How do you usually travel to work, school or college?”
The respondent is asked to choose only one option, representing the longest part of their usual journey. The data presented here refer only to people working and does not include students, unemployed or retired people.
Vehicles by fuel type (8.6)
This indicator contains data on the number of newly licensed vehicles in Ireland broken down by fuel type, including petrol, diesel, hybrid, electrical and other. A hybrid car is one that uses more than one means of propulsion - combining a petrol or diesel engine with an electric motor for example – rather than using different fuels in the same propulsion system. Other fuels include gas and dual fuels (such as petrol and ethanol blended).
Municipal waste (9.1 and 9.2)
Municipal waste means solid household waste as well as commercial and other waste that, because of its nature or composition, is similar to household waste. It excludes municipal sludges and effluents. Municipal waste consists of three main elements - household, commercial (including non-process industrial waste) and street cleansing waste (street sweepings, street bins, municipal parks and cemeteries maintenance, waste, litter campaign material). The figures in Indicators 9.1 and 9.2 refer to waste generated rather than waste managed and the reference to landfill waste in Indicator 9.2 refers to controlled landfills and not wild dumping.
Waste management means the collection, transport, recovery and disposal of waste, including the supervision of such operations and the aftercare of disposal sites and including actions taken by dealers and brokers.
Disposal means any operation which is not recovery even where the operation involves, as a secondary consequence, the reclamation of substances or energy.
Recovery of packaging waste (9.3)
Packaging is used to contain, protect and present goods. Packaging is made from such materials as cardboard, paper, glass, plastic, steel, aluminium, wood and composite materials such as those used in milk and juice cartons.
Recovery means any operation the principal result of which is waste serving a useful purpose by replacing other materials which would otherwise have been used to fulfil a particular function, or waste being prepared to fulfil that function, in the plant or in the wider economy.
Collection of electrical waste (9.4)
The EPA collects and compiles statistics relating to Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) under EU Directive 2012/19/EC which replaced the earlier WEEE Directive 2002/96/EC.
The 10 European WEEE categories are: Large household appliances; Small household appliances; IT and telecommunications equipment; Consumer equipment and photovoltaic panels; Electrical and electronic tools; Lighting equipment; Toys, leisure and sports equipment; Medical devices; Monitoring and control instruments; and Automatic dispensers.
Protected areas (10.1 to 10.3)
The Natura 2000 ecological network of protected areas consists of Special Protected Areas (SPA’s) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC’s) together. There are small fluctuations in the area designated as Natura 2000 protected sites from year to year due to changes in the scientific information available and appeals against designating land as protected.
EU Member States, concerned about the decline of wild bird species, adopted the Birds Directive 79/409/EEC in April 1979. It is the oldest piece of EU legislation on the environment and one of its cornerstones. Amended in 2009, it became Directive 2009/147/EC.
Habitat loss and degradation are the most serious threats to the conservation of wild birds. The Directive places emphasis on the protection of habitats for endangered and migratory species. It establishes a network of Special Protected Areas, including all the most suitable territories for these species. Indicator 10.2 refers to terrestrial SPA’s only.
Adopted in 1992, the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora aims to promote the maintenance of biodiversity, taking account of economic, social, cultural and regional requirements. It forms the cornerstone of Europe’s nature conservation policy with the Birds Directive and establishes the EU wide Natura 2000 ecological network of protected areas.
Member States are required to designate Special Areas of Conservation for threatened species and habitats. This ensures the conservation of a wide range of rare, threatened or endemic species, including around 450 animals and 500 plants. Some 200 rare and characteristic habitat types are also targeted for conservation in their own right. Indicator 10.3 refers to terrestrial SAC’s only.
Common and farmland birds (10.4)
The Countryside Bird Survey (CBS) is Ireland’s national monitoring scheme for common and widespread breeding birds. It is funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage) and is coordinated by Birdwatch Ireland. It has been running since 1998.
The Irish Common Bird Index (CBI) is based on 44 common and widespread breeding birds which are monitored as part of the CBS. The Common Farmland Bird Index (CFBI) is based on 14 breeding farmland birds which are monitored by the CBS.
