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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced new funding for Environmental and climate research in Ireland, with funding of €14.3m awarded for 33 new research projects.

This represents a significant increase over previous years and reflects the EPA’s ongoing commitment to funding environmental and climate research. These innovative projects will support the development and implementation of environmental policies in Ireland, as well as building research capacity in strategically important areas. 

Support more than 200 research staff

This funding will support more than 200 research staff across 13 organisations to conduct projects in innovative areas such as:

• How blue light can affect human health and biodiversity;
• Societal transformation required to address climate, environmental and social challenges;
• Digital twins for coastal areas;
• Nature-based solutions for water quality and ecology;
• The circular economy for batteries;
• Sustainable tourism; and
• Air pollution in Irish towns.

Laura Burke, EPA director general and Engineers Ireland vice president, said: “Scientific research and innovation are playing an increasingly important role in informing how governments and society can respond to the challenges posed by climate change and environmental degradation.

"The projects announced today will address knowledge gaps, both current and future, to provide robust evidence to support the implementation of effective environmental policies in Ireland.

"This EPA funding will also help to build transdisciplinary research capacity and talent in Ireland in key areas relating to sustainability transitions and societal transformations.

"These specialist skills and expertise are essential to enable Ireland to effectively leverage the full range of environmental, economic and societal opportunities offered by the green transition. I congratulate the successful research teams and look forward to seeing the project outputs making a positive contribution to environmental protection in the years ahead.”

The EPA places a high priority on promoting the uptake of funded research to inform policy and to maximise the impact of research and innovation. Reflecting the need for an integrated, cross-sectoral approach, the EPA is working in partnership with Met Éireann and Geological Survey Ireland to co-fund a number of projects.

Broadening the base

Of the successful lead research applicants supported through the call, more than 40% had not previously applied for funding to the EPA, broadening the base of the researchers and institutions engaging in research relevant to environmental policy.

University College Cork (UCC) received the highest number of successful research awards in 2023. Professor John Cryan, UCC vice president for research and innovation said: “I would like to thank the Environmental Protection Agency for continuing to award talented researchers. This allows them, through scientific research and innovation, to tackle critical environmental, climate, health, and sustainability issues.

"These awards will further strengthen UCC’s position as a recognised global leader in the field of Sustainability. Aligned to UCC Futures – Sustainability, these projects will enable UCC researchers to support environmental policies in Ireland, address key societal challenges caused by climate change, and help deliver a healthier environment for all.”

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published Ireland’s first Climate Change Assessment Report (ICCA).

This significant scientific assessment serves to complement and localise the global assessments undertaken by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Its findings build upon these assessments and add important local and national context.

Undertaken by leading researchers, the assessment is based on scientific research and observations in Ireland, linked to EU and global analyses. It was led by the Environmental Protection Agency funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, with additional funding by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, and the Department of Transport.

Laura Burke, EPA director general and Engineers Ireland vice president, said: “Ireland’s Climate Change Assessment represents a major contribution to our understanding of the impacts and challenges experienced and posed by climate change in Ireland.

"The assessment provides a picture of where Ireland is in its response the climate emergency. It provides insights as to the scale of the challenge for Ireland to become climate neutral and climate resilient. It reinforces the need for Ireland to pick up the pace of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to our changed and future climate.

“If we can reach net zero global carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, then many of the key components of the climate system such as temperature and precipitation would stabilise within the lifetime of many of today’s younger citizens and to the benefit of all of society.”

Key findings

• Human activity has resulted in widespread and rapid changes in climate which are already impacting us all today;
• The future climate is in our collective hands. Halting warming globally, and in Ireland, requires rapidly reaching at least net-zero carbon dioxide emissions and substantially cutting other greenhouse gas emissions. Every action matters: with every additional increment of warming, impacts for Ireland will increase substantially;
• Having peaked in 2001, Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions have reduced in all sectors except agriculture. However, Ireland currently emits more greenhouse gases per person than the EU average. A legal basis for deep, rapid and sustained national emissions cuts now exists, although current policy and action remain insufficient to meet these aims. The pathway forward is clearer for energy, transport and the built environment than for agriculture and land use. For all sectors there are many challenges to overcome;
• Ireland needs to be resilient to ongoing and future climate change impacts. This requires increased focus upon and investment in adaptation that can protect us from future climatic impacts. Current implementation of adaptation is too slow and fragmented. Doing better requires financing, working with people and nature, monitoring and evaluating outcomes, and increasing public and private sector involvement;
• Effective and just transformative actions will have mitigation and adaptation benefits and bring broader benefits for health, wellbeing, nature and sustainable economic development. The state has a central role to play in enabling the necessary transformations, supported through action across society. Decisions taken this decade will reverberate for generations to come.

Mary Frances Rochford, programme manager, said: “Ireland’s Climate Change Assessment is a major resource for policymakers, practitioners, researchers, research funders and the public.

"It points to how and where the science can be improved through further investments in innovation, in research and in systematic observations. The EPA, with partners, will continue to focus on addressing these knowledge gaps to inform and support effective climate action.”

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published national byproduct criteria for site-won asphalt (road planings) from road developments.

These criteria allow for the classification of road planings as a byproduct, meaning it is not waste. The byproduct can subsequently be used or placed on the market in the same way as virgin material. These criteria support waste prevention and facilitate the reuse of materials in new construction projects, in line with the circular economy. 

There is a strong demand for secondary construction products in Ireland to support development of new infrastructure with a low carbon footprint. The criteria allow used asphalt to be remanufactured into new bituminous products for road building.

'Important step for the ‘greening’ of Ireland’s construction industry'

David Flynn, director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Sustainability, said: “The publication of national byproduct criteria for site-won asphalt is an important step for the ‘greening’ of Ireland’s construction industry.

"The criteria will support waste prevention and circular economy ambitions, by tackling the generation of construction waste, the largest waste stream in the country, while encouraging the reuse of materials.

"This is the type of progress needed if Ireland is to move in a meaningful way from the linear to the circular economy.”

The criteria provide a simple way to assess materials for reuse, and will support green procurement ambitions for road development projects.

Streamlining the regulation

Warren Phelan, programme manager of the EPA’s Circular Economy Programme noted: “The publication of the national criteria show the EPA’s commitment to streamlining the regulation to support secondary products.

"The shift away from the assessment of case-by-case applications to national criteria, which is available to all producers, offers more regulatory certainty to the stakeholders involved. 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 relevant stakeholders in the construction sector to adopt and implement the new criteria.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report Urban Waste Water Treatment in 2022, shows that Uisce Éireann has made progress in stopping discharges of raw sewage over the past year, with the connection of six villages to new treatment plants in 2022, it has been revealed.

However, wastewater continues to harm the quality of many of Ireland’s rivers, estuaries, lakes and coastal waters. While works to upgrade treatment plants and prevent pollution are progressing in some areas, Uisce Éireann’s delays in other areas are prolonging the risks to the environment and public health.

Dr Tom Ryan, EPA director said: “While it is encouraging to see continued progress in stopping the unacceptable practice of discharging raw sewage into our environment, waste water remains a significant pressure on Ireland’s water ways and is adversely impacting water quality. The pace at which Uisce Éireann is delivering improvements needs to accelerate to prevent pollution and protect water quality.

Prioritise resources

“Uisce Éireann must take the opportunity of its new investment plan for 2025 to 2029 to deliver waste water infrastructure that meets the needs of our society and protects and improves our environment into the future. The investment plan must prioritise resources to prevent pollution in the priority areas highlighted by the EPA.”

Thirty years after Ireland was required to bring provisions into force to comply with EU treatment standards set to protect the environment, less than half (45%) of wastewater is treated to these standards. This is expected to improve significantly to more than 90% when the upgrade of Ireland’s largest treatment plant at Ringsend in Dublin is complete.

Noel Byrne, EPA programme manager, said: “It is welcome that Uisce Éireann is currently building infrastructure at large urban areas, including Ringsend and Arklow, which are designed to treat wastewater to a high standard. However, poor management practices at upgraded plants, such as Skibbereen and Courtmacsherry, caused inadequately treated sewage to discharge into the environment.

"This is not acceptable as these plants have sufficient treatment capacity. Uisce Éireann must implement effective maintenance programmes for existing infrastructure and improve its operation and management of treatment plants to prevent such failures in future.”