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Measuring Ireland's Progress 2015

Environment

3.1 EU: Net greenhouse gas emissions, 2014
 
1990=100
Country2014 emissions indexKyoto target indexAbove/below target
Lithuania4192-56%
Romania4492-53%
Latvia4492-52%
Estonia5392-43%
Slovakia5592-41%
Bulgaria5592-40%
Hungary6194-35%
Czech Republic6392-31%
Croatia7095-26%
Sweden77104-26%
Greece97125-22%
United Kingdom6988-21%
Finland84100-16%
France85100-15%
Belgium7993-15%
Portugal109127-14%
Poland8194-14%
Italy8194-13%
Netherlands8794-7%
Germany7479-7%
Ireland106113-6%
Denmark7479-6%
Slovenia8992-3%
Spain1181152%
Austria988713%
Luxembourg917226%
Cyprus143::
Malta151::
    
Iceland13411022%
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 2004 and 2008 the level of emissions from Ireland was in the range 124% to 127% of the 1990 level. However, Irish emisssions fell sharply in 2009 to 114% of the 1990 level and decreased steeply again in 2011 to 105% before rising slightly to 106% in 2012. The index for Ireland remained at 106% in 2013 and 2014, (see graph).
  • In 2014 Ireland was 6.5% below the Kyoto limit and ranked 21st among EU countries relative to the Kyoto limit.
  • Three EU countries were above their respective Kyoto emissions limits in 2014 - Luxembourg, Austria and Spain.
IrelandKyoto target
2004124.21113
2005127.38113
2006127113
2007126.06113
2008124.57113
2009113.75113
2010112.9113
2011105.31113
2012105.58113
2013105.81113
2014105.69113
3.2 Energy intensity, 2010-2014
 
kgoe per €1,000 GDP
Country20102011201220132014
Denmark8376747569
Ireland9183838275
United Kingdom11610710810596
Luxembourg11711311110397
Italy11110710610498
Austria117110109110106
Spain121120123117112
Germany129118119121114
Malta142139142121119
Netherlands136125127127119
France134126126126120
EU 28138130130128122
Sweden138131132128123
Cyprus143140134124130
Portugal135134131134131
Greece128136145132132
Belgium168153147152142
Slovenia203201199196185
Finland199187184182186
Croatia210207202198189
Lithuania242236230209203
Latvia261232231221215
Hungary262250239227220
Slovakia265251237238221
Poland278265253251234
Romania283285274243235
Czech Republic286270271268256
Estonia418390367396386
Bulgaria471498475431449
      
Norway10687909984
Montenegro:352342319295
Macedonia399423408364341
Iceland586615562564552
  Source: Eurostat
  • Ireland's energy intensity improved from 91 in 2010 to 83 in 2011 and improved again in 2014 when it stood at 75. 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 second most energy efficient economy in the EU in 2014 after Demmark. Two countries had energy intensity ratios above 300 - Estonia and Bulgaria.
  • The economic struture of an economy plays 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 a higher energy intensity.
Gross inland consumption of energy divided by GDP
Denmark68.6
Ireland74.9
United Kingdom95.6
Luxembourg96.6
Italy98.4
Austria106.2
Spain112.3
Germany114.4
Malta118.7
Netherlands119.4
France120.1
EU122
Sweden123.1
Cyprus129.5
Portugal130.7
Greece131.7
Belgium141.5
Slovenia184.6
Finland185.6
Croatia189.4
Lithuania203.3
Latvia215
Hungary219.5
Slovakia221.2
Poland233.7
Romania235
Czech Republic256.3
Estonia386.4
Bulgaria448.8
Norway84.4 Montenegro294.6 Macedonia341.4 Iceland551.5
3.3 Ireland: Particulate matter in urban areas, 2006-2015
 
YearDublinCorkOther Towns1
 Average PM10Number of days PM10 daily limit exceededAverage PM10Number of days PM10 daily limit exceededAverage PM10Number of days PM10 daily limit exceeded
200620101642619
2007187151254
2008177161185
2009171186194
20101972272734
201114721192224
2012130177198
20131431952111
20141411952110
20151441731810
 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 between 2006 and 2010.
  • However in 2011 the average readings for particulate matter in Dublin dropped to 14 µg/m3 and remained at about this level over the next four years.
  • The level for Cork was 16 µg/m3 in 2006 and then rose to 22 in 2010 before dropping back to stand at 17 in 2015.
  • 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 and 2015.
  • 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 Dubin 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
20061041935
200771435
200871535
200916435
2010773435
20117192435
201207835
2013351135
2014151035
2015431035
3.4 Ireland: Greenhouse gas emissions, 2004-20131
 
 000 tonnes CO2000 tonnes N2O000 tonnes CH4000 tonnes CO2 eq.000 tonnes CO2 eq.
YearCarbon dioxideNitrous oxideMethaneHFC, PFC, SF6, NF3Total greenhouse gases
200446,042275701,05169,268
200547,952275591,28171,349
200647,403265601,25570,456
200747,490235351,25369,037
200847,171245281,31968,800
200941,982255151,23163,402
201041,554255051,20762,870
201137,898245041,20958,762
201238,067255161,18359,536
201337,057245291,32958,755
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 2004 and 2008 at about 70 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
  • Emissions decreased between 2008 and 2011, falling from 68.8 to 58.8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
  • In 2012 there was a small increase in greenhouse gas emissions to 59.5 millions tonnes of CO2 equivalent, followed by a slight fall to 58.8 million tonnes in 2013.
  • Between 2004 and 2013 total greenhouse gas emissions fell by 15.2% with decreases in each of the main greenhouse gases of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. Carbon dioxide emissions fell by 19.5%, nitrous oxide by 11.1% and methane by 7.2%. 
  • The other greenhouse gases (HFCs, PFC and SF6), (which are estimated to comprise around two per cent (in terms of CO2 eqivalent) of the total green house gas emissions for Ireland), increased by over a quarter between 2004 and 2013.
Total greenhouse gas emissions
200469268
200571349
200670456
200769037
200868800
200963402
201062870
201158762
201259536
201358755
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
200847116110179
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 41% between 2004 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, 20141,2
 
kg per person% of municipal waste
CountryGeneratedLandfilledRecycledCompostedIncineratedLandfilled
Sweden438333.316.449.50.7
Belgium435434.020.944.80.9
Denmark7581026.917.454.41.3
Germany618946.617.234.81.5
Netherlands527823.727.147.61.5
Austria5662325.430.936.44.1
Estonia3572326.64.847.36.4
Finland4828418.014.550.017.4
Luxembourg61611028.218.535.217.9
Slovenia43210129.26.90.223.4
France50913122.017.135.025.7
United Kingdom48213427.416.426.627.8
EU 2847413227.615.826.827.8
Italy48815426.016.419.331.6
Ireland58622330.75.815.938.1
Portugal45322216.314.120.849.0
Poland27214321.011.015.152.6
Spain43524015.617.012.455.2
Czech Republic31017422.62.918.456.1
Hungary38522124.46.29.957.4
Lithuania43325521.09.58.858.9
Slovakia3212145.05.310.966.7
Romania2541754.39.12.068.9
Bulgaria44230721.31.81.669.5
Cyprus61746713.54.20.875.7
Latvia32525816.64.00.079.4
Malta6004787.33.30.379.7
Croatia38730914.52.10.379.8
Greece50941115.53.70.080.7
       
Switzerland730032.621.046.40.0
Norway4231226.016.153.02.8
Iceland34517037.47.55.849.3
Serbia3022340.70.00.077.5
Montenegro5084470.80.00.088.0
Turkey405361:0.50.089.1
Macedonia3703700.00.00.0100.0
Source: Eurostat
1 Comparability between countries may be affected by different waste management practices.
2 2013 data used for Ireland, Greece, Romania, Iceland and Montengro.
  • The amount of municipal waste sent to landfill in Ireland is above the EU average. In 2014, 27.8% of municipal waste in the EU was landfilled compared with 38.1% in Ireland.
  • Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands all had very low landfill levels (1.5% 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 was recycled or composted, below the EU average of 43.4%.
  • The highest recycling rate was in Germany where just under half of municipal waste was recycled, while the lowest rate was in Romania at 4.3%. 
  • The rate of incineration in Ireland, at 15.9%, is below the EU average of 26.8%.
  • Ireland had the sixth highest amount of municipal waste generated per person in the EU at 586kg per person.
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
3.8 EU: Passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants, 2010-2014
 
cars per 1,000 inhabitants
Country20102011201220132014
Luxembourg648643643647645
Lithuania554570590615413
Italy619625621608610
Malta581592592602619
Finland535551563574581
Cyprus551545549553565
Austria530537542546547
Germany511517523538540
Slovenia518519518516518
Poland453476492510526
Belgium480487488490493
France487486490489:
Estonia416433456478497
Spain475476476474474
Netherlands464470472471472
Greece469469470469471
Sweden460464465466470
United Kingdom455453453456461
Czech Republic429436448450459
Ireland410428425431436
Portugal444447406415:
Denmark389394399405412
Bulgaria353368385402418
Croatia353355339341349
Slovakia310324337347360
Latvia307299306317331
Hungary299299301308315
Romania214216224235247
      
Switzerland518523529531532
Norway468475481486491
Turkey102109114121127
Source: Eurostat
  • The number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants in Ireland rose from 410 in 2010 to 436 in 2014.
  • The ratio of cars per 1,000 inhabitants in Ireland is not high by EU standards and was the ninth lowest in 2013.
  • The number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants in 2013 varied from 235 in Romania to 647 in Luxembourg.
3.9 EU: Share of road transport in total inland freight transport, 2010-2014
 
% of inland freight
Country20102011201220132014
Latvia38.136.235.839.641.3
Austria56.356.054.652.851.7
Netherlands59.158.255.856.256.1
Romania49.250.253.357.559.4
Belgium67.966.364.565.064.2
Germany64.965.864.663.964.4
Estonia45.848.553.055.966.0
Lithuania59.158.862.366.466.2
Sweden60.761.860.361.566.3
Finland75.073.973.071.870.6
EU 2876.275.675.375.575.4
Hungary75.175.975.175.575.8
Slovakia74.876.677.676.076.3
Bulgaria68.173.674.775.976.6
Croatia71.274.073.676.276.8
Czech Republic79.079.278.279.778.7
Slovenia82.381.482.180.779.8
France82.281.180.680.680.1
Poland80.679.481.982.983.3
Italy90.487.885.986.985.4
United Kingdom88.787.988.086.786.5
Denmark87.086.088.086.886.8
Portugal93.994.093.294.193.5
Spain95.995.695.595.494.8
Luxembourg92.793.793.894.295.1
Greece98.098.398.798.898.4
Ireland99.299.099.198.999.0
Cyprus100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Malta100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
      
Switzerland54.454.154.052.051.5
Norway85.084.385.386.385.9
Iceland100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Macedonia89.094.995.594.7:
Turkey94.494.795.195.4:
Source: Eurostat
  • The vast majority of inland freight transport in Ireland was on roads in 2014, with 99% 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 41.3% 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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