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Measuring Ireland's Progress 2014

Environment

3.1 EU: Net greenhouse gas emissions, 2012
    
1990=100
Country2012 emissions indexKyoto target indexAbove/below target
Latvia4392-53.3%
Lithuania4492-51.7%
Estonia4792-48.5%
Romania4892-47.9%
Bulgaria5692-39.1%
Slovakia5892-36.5%
Hungary6494-32.2%
Czech Republic6792-26.8%
Sweden81104-22.4%
Greece106125-15.4%
Croatia8395-13.0%
Finland88100-11.9%
United Kingdom7888-11.4%
Belgium8393-10.7%
France89100-10.5%
Portugal115127-9.6%
Poland8694-8.7%
EU 158792-5.8%
Ireland107113-5.3%
Italy9094-4.0%
Germany7779-3.1%
Denmark7779-2.6%
Netherlands9394-0.8%
Spain1221156.5%
Slovenia1039211.5%
Austria1048719.6%
Luxembourg977235.4%
Cyprus148::
Malta157::
    
Norway1071015.9%
Switzerland98926.1%
Iceland13011017.9%
Source: Eurostat, Environmental Protection Agency

 

  • Under the Kyoto protocol, EU 15 countries agreed to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by 8% on 1990 levels for the period 2008-2012.
  • Ireland's Kyoto burden-sharing target is to ensure that average levels in the 2008-2012 period are not more than 13% above Ireland's 1990 emissions.
  • Between 2002 and 2008 the level of emissions from Ireland was in the range of 126% to 128% of the 1990 level. However, Irish emissions fell sharply in 2009 to 115% of the 1990 level and decreased steeply again in 2011 to 106% before rising slightly to 107% in 2012, (see graph).
  • In 2012 Ireland was 5.3% below the Kyoto limit and ranked 18th among EU countries relative to the Kyoto limit.
  • Four EU countries were above their respective Kyoto emissions limits in 2012, - Luxembourg, Austria, Slovenia and Spain.
IrelandKyoto target
2002125.5113
2003125.63113
2004124.91113
2005128.15113
2006127.96113
2007126.86113
2008125.85113
2009114.64113
2010114.04113
2011106.25113
2012107.04113
3.2 Energy intensity, 2009-2013
      
    kgoe per €1,000 GDP
Country20092010201120122013
Ireland9093838382
Denmark9397898687
United Kingdom111112103106103
Italy121123121120117
Austria126132125124124
Luxembourg138142137134128
Spain137137135137129
Germany139140129129131
EU 28149152144143142
France149151143143143
Malta164167164171144
Sweden150157149148144
Netherlands150158145149150
Greece150148154165151
Portugal161153151148151
Cyprus186179175168154
Belgium181191177167173
Finland213226212208206
Croatia231232232226220
Slovenia228231231228226
Hungary290294282269257
Lithuania390307299292266
Poland319327314298295
Latvia357371334329311
Romania387395394379335
Slovakia362369349329337
Czech Republic364374354356354
Estonia491546505478513
Bulgaria661669706670611
      
Norway125135111114126
Macedonia494494522503454
Turkey238233:::
  Source: Eurostat

 

  • Ireland's energy intensity ratio deteriorated slightly from 90 in 2009 to 93 in 2010 before improving to 82 in 2013. This ratio is calculated by dividing total usage of coal, electricity, oil, natural gas and renewable energy by GDP and is expressed in terms of kilogramme of oil equivalent (kgoe) per €1,000 GDP.
  • Ireland was the most energy efficient economy in the EU in 2013, with an energy intensity ratio of 82. Six countries had energy intensity ratios above 300 - Bulgaria, Estonia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Latvia.
  • The economic structure of an economy plays in an important role in determining energy intensity, as service based economies will display relatively low energy intensity rates, while economies with energy intensive industries (such as iron and steel production) may have a considerable proportion of their economic activity within industrial sectors, leading to higher energy intensity.
Gross inland consumption of energy divided by GDP
Ireland82.4
Denmark86.6
United Kingdom102.7
Italy117.2
Austria123.9
Luxembourg127.6
Spain128.9
Germany130.6
EU141.6
France143
Malta143.6
Sweden143.9
Netherlands149.5
Greece151.3
Portugal151.4
Cyprus154.1
Belgium173.1
Finland205.9
Croatia219.5
Slovenia225.8
Hungary256.6
Lithuania266.4
Poland294.7
Latvia310.6
Romania334.7
Slovakia337.2
Czech Republic353.8
Estonia512.7
Bulgaria610.6
0
Norway126.3
Macedonia453.9
Turkey233
3.3 Ireland: Particulate matter in urban areas, 2004-2014
       
YearDublinCorkOther Towns1
 Average PM10Number of days PM10 daily limit exceededAverage PM10Number of days PM10 daily limit exceededAverage PM10Number of days PM10 daily limit exceeded
20042014229201
2005198193236
200620101642619
2007187151254
2008177161185
2009171186194
20101972272734
201114721192224
2012130177198
20131431952111
20141411952110
 Source: Environmental Protection Agency
1 Data provided for other towns over the years have been for different locations, see appendix 1 for details.

 

  • The average readings for particulate matter (PM10) in Dublin were in the region of 17 to 20 µg/m3 in between 2004 and 2010.
  • However in 2011 the average readings for particulate matter in Dublin dropped to 14 µg/m3 and remained at about this level for 2012, 2013 and 2014
  • The level for Cork was 22 µg/m3 in 2004 before dropping to less than 20 between 2005 and 2009. Levels then rose to 22 in 2010, before falling slightly to stand at 19 in 2014.
  • The average readings for particulate matter in towns other than Dublin or Cork have been more variable, ranging from a high of 27 µg/m3 in 2010 to a low of 18 in 2008.
  • European legislation contains limit values which permit particulate matter to exceed 50 µg/m3 on not more than 35 days per annum from 2005. This limit was regularly broken in Dublin in the 1990s but has not been broken since then anywhere in Ireland, although the limit was close to being broken in 2010 for towns other than Dublin or Cork.
DublinCorkOther townsEU limit
2004149135
200583635
20061041935
200771435
200871535
200916435
2010773435
20117192435
201207835
2013351135
2014151035
3.4 Ireland: Greenhouse gas emissions, 2003-20121
      
 000 tonnes CO2000 tonnes N2O000 tonnes CH4000 tonnes CO2 eq.000 tonnes CO2 eq.
YearCarbon dioxideNitrous oxideMethaneHFC, PFC, SF6Total greenhouse gases
200345,2102766485968,526   
200445,8652762688768,244
200547,690266111,08469,718
200647,291266141,05669,230
200747,279255891,04868,436
200846,926255831,13767,940
200941,677245691,06462,239
201041,225255581,04561,827
201137,650245571,05357,684
201237,947245751,02958,467
Source: Environmental Protection Agency, CSO
1 The components of greenhouse gases shown in the table above do not add to total greenhouse gases as nitrous oxide and methane are not shown in CO2 equivalents, see Appendix 1 for more details.

 

  • Total greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland were reasonably constant between 2003 and 2008 at about 68.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
  • Emissions fell by 8.4% between 2008 and 2009 to 62.2 million tonnes followed by a slight drop in 2010 to 61.8 million tonnes.  Emissions decreased again in 2011, falling by 6.7% to 57.7 million tonnes.
  • In 2012 there was an increase of 1.4% in greenhouse gas emissions to 58.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
  • Between 2003 and 2012, total greenhouse gas emissions fell by 14.7% with decreases in each of the main greenhouse gases of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane.  Carbon dioxide emissions fell by 16.1%, nitrous oxide by 11.1% and methane by 13.4%.
  • The other greenhouse gases (HFCs, PFC and SF6), (which are estimated to comprise around one per cent (in terms of CO2 eqivalent) of the total green house gas emissions for Ireland), increased by nearly a fifth between 2003 and 2012.
Total greenhouse gas emissions
200368525.8215354305
200468244.1396699531
200569718.3340316074
200669230.0320868308
200768435.6463225231
200867940.4526005469
200962239.4939629556
201061827.4628860357
201157683.6872739151
201258466.6448349001
3.5 Ireland: Air pollutant emissions, 2004-2013
     
 000 tonnes SO2000 tonnes NOx000 tonnes NH3000 tonnes CO
YearSulphur dioxide (SO2)Nitrogen oxide (NOx)Ammonia (NH3)Carbon monoxide (CO)
200474134113219
200574136113217
200663132112201
200757129108189
200847116110178
20093493111159
20102885109146
20112776105135
20122578106129
20132579108123
Source: Environmental Protection Agency, CSO

 

  • All the main air pollutants decreased between 2004 and 2013.
  • Sulphur dioxide emissions fell by 66.2% over the 2004-2013 time period, from 74 million tonnes of SO2 to 25 million tonnes. This was accounted for mainly by the electricity and gas supply sector.
  • Nitrogen oxide emissions, which occur mainly in power generation and road transport, fell by 43.3% between 2004 and 2011 before increasing by 3.9% between 2011 and 2013.
  • Ammonia emissions, which are caused mainly by agricultural activity, fell by 4.4% over the 2004-2013 time period. Emissions from carbon monoxide fell by 43.8% over the same time period, driven mainly by more efficient cars and a reduction in the use of solid fuels by households.
3.6 Ireland: Total municipal waste generated, recovered and landfilled 2003-2012
      
 000 tonnes% of waste generated
YearWaste generatedWaste recoveredWaste landfilledWaste recoveredWaste landfilled
20033,001.0726.81,832.624.261.1
20043,034.6919.01,818.530.359.9
20053,050.1964.41,824.131.659.8
20063,384.61,119.71,980.633.158.5
20073,397.71,159.82,014.834.159.3
20083,224.31,165.11,938.736.160.1
20092,952.91,101.31,723.737.358.4
20102,846.11,084.91,495.638.152.5
20112,823.21,202.61,344.042.647.6
20122,692.51,450.71,027.653.938.2
Source: Environmental Protection Agency, National Waste Report series

 

  • The quantity of municipal waste generated in Ireland increased each year between 2003 and 2007, rising from 3,001,000 tonnes to 3,397,700 tonnes, an increase of 13.2%.
  • However between 2007 and 2012 the quantity of municipal waste generated dropped each year, falling to 2,692,500 tonnes by 2012, a decrease of over a fifth.
  • Waste recovered as a percentage of waste generated rose from 24.2% in 2003 to 53.9% in 2012.
  • Waste landfilled as a percentage of waste generated was close to 60% between 2003 and 2009 before falling sharply over the next three years to reach 38.2% by 2012.
  • Thus 2012 was the first year in Ireland that the percentage of municipal waste which was recovered (53.9%) exceeded the percentage landfilled (38.2%).
% waste landfilled in Ireland% waste recovered in Ireland
200361.066818704065624.2172317641759
200459.92738335564330.2842317484609
200559.804423006558631.6180511020796
200658.517889526875533.0821371822895
200759.299234213433134.1350267226224
200860.128133993284136.1351879690387
200958.437.3
201052.538.1
201147.642.6
201238.165273909006553.8792943361189
3.7 EU: Municipal waste generated and treated, 20131
      
 kg per person% of municipal waste
CountryGeneratedLandfilledRecycledIncineratedLandfilled
Germany617164.535.30.2
Sweden458349.649.80.7
Belgium439455.144.40.9
Netherlands526850.048.71.5
Denmark7471244.254.11.6
Austria5782356.234.94.0
Estonia2934017.455.613.7
Luxembourg65311447.934.617.5
Finland49312432.742.425.2
Slovenia41410942.80.526.3
France53015037.534.028.3
EU 2848114741.825.430.6
United Kingdom48216543.621.234.2
Italy49118139.520.236.9
Ireland58622336.515.938.1
Portugal44022225.923.650.5
Poland29715723.96.752.9
Czech Republic30717324.119.556.4
Spain44927029.89.860.1
Lithuania43327027.77.262.4
Hungary37824426.59.064.6
Bulgaria43229828.51.669.0
Slovakia30421310.510.570.1
Romania2722132.60.078.3
Cyprus62449121.50.078.7
Greece50640919.40.080.8
Malta57046410.70.481.4
Croatia40433215.10.082.2
Latvia31225917.00.083.0
      
Switzerland702051.049.00.0
Norway4961039.157.52.0
Iceland34517044.95.849.3
Turkey406332::81.8
Macedonia384384::100.0
Source: Eurostat
1 Comparability between countries may be affected by different waste management practices.
  • 38.1% of municipal waste was landfilled in Ireland in 2013, above the EU average of 30.6%. Germany, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Austria all had very low landfill levels (4% or less) because they recycle and incinerate much of their waste while Switzerland has no landfilled waste at all.
  • More than a third (36.5%) of municipal waste generated in Ireland in 2013 was recycled, below the EU average of 41.8%.
  • The highest recycling rate was in Germany where nearly two-thirds of municipal waste was recycled, while the lowest rate was in Romania at just 2.6%.
  • The rate of incineration in Ireland, at 15.9%, is also below the EU average rate which was 25.4% in 2013.
  • Ireland had the fifth highest amount of municipal waste generated per person in the EU in 2013, at 586 kg per person.
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
3.8 EU: Passenger cars per 1,000 population aged 15 and over, 2009-2013
      
cars per 1,000 population aged 15 and over
Country20092010201120122013
Luxembourg817814818816:
Italy717722727726720
Malta672687700702711
Cyprus703683673661656
Finland626645664678689
Lithuania627633659685714
Austria616625632638642
Slovenia606604606605604
France599601600605604
Germany 583590597605609
Belgium581586592591593
Netherlands562566572572571
Poland511535562580600
Spain558560562560556
Sweden558556561::
United Kingdom559556553553541
Greece537547548546546
Ireland530521545543553
Portugal:524525475484
Czech Republic496501511525528
Estonia481489510538565
Bulgaria386404421442462
Croatia420416418398399
Slovakia350366383399410
Hungary353350348352359
Latvia486350344353367
Romania247253255265278
Denmark466::::
      
Switzerland615617623629632
Norway551584592599603
Turkey135140148155164
Source: Eurostat
  • In 2011 the number of cars per 1,000 population aged 15 and over varied from 255 in Romania to 818 in Luxembourg.
  • The ratio of private cars per 1,000 population aged 15 and over in Ireland is not high by EU standards and was the eighteenth highest in the EU in 2011.
  • The number of private cars per 1,000 population aged 15 and over in Ireland fell from 530 in 2009 to 521 in 2010 but since then has increased to 553 in 2013.
3.9 EU: Share of road transport in total inland freight transport, 2009-2013
      
% of inland freight
Country20092010201120122013
Latvia30.238.136.235.839.6
Austria59.556.356.054.652.8
Estonia47.345.848.553.055.9
Netherlands63.859.158.255.856.2
Romania60.049.250.253.357.5
Sweden63.260.761.860.361.8
Germany67.064.965.864.663.9
Belgium72.967.966.364.264.5
Lithuania59.959.158.862.366.4
Finland75.775.073.973.071.8
EU 2877.576.275.675.275.4
Hungary78.875.175.975.175.5
Bulgaria67.468.173.674.775.9
Slovakia77.974.876.677.676.0
Croatia73.771.274.073.676.2
Czech Republic77.879.079.278.279.7
France81.082.281.180.680.6
Slovenia84.082.381.482.180.7
Poland80.580.679.481.982.9
United Kingdom87.888.787.988.086.7
Denmark90.887.086.088.086.8
Italy90.490.487.885.986.9
Portugal94.393.994.093.294.1
Luxembourg94.692.793.793.994.2
Spain96.495.995.695.595.4
Greece98.198.098.398.798.8
Ireland99.399.299.099.198.9
Cyprus100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Malta100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
      
Switzerland55.554.454.154.052.0
Norway84.085.084.385.386.3
Macedonia89.089.094.995.594.7
Turkey94.694.494.795.195.4
Iceland100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Source: Eurostat
  • The vast bulk of inland freight transport in Ireland was on roads in 2013, with 98.9% of total inland freight travelling by road. This was the highest proportion in the EU among countries with a rail network, (neither Cyprus nor Malta have railways).
  • Just 39.6% of inland freight was moved on roads in Latvia while the EU average was 75.4%.
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.

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