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A DECREASE IN greenhouse gas emissions and an increase in household waste are two indicators of the environmental impacts of the pandemic in Ireland, a new report has outlined.
A major report published today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took a comprehensive look at the current state of the environment in Ireland.
Comparing data on a number of different environmental areas between March and May 2019 and the same period in 2020, the EPA examined the impact of the pandemic on areas like air pollution and waste.
Petrol consumption halved during this period, and diesel consumption reduced by 35%, the report said.
Preliminary figures show that Ireland’s overall greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 8-10% during this period. Electricity GHG emissions went down by 7% and natural gas GHG emissions reduced by 6%.
Traffic volumes also went down by more than two-thirds, while international arrivals and departures reduced by 99% in April and 98% in May.
In terms of waste, domestic household waste went up by more than one-fifth while commercial waste reduced by half.
Construction waste reduced by just under two-thirds, meanwhile domestic brown bin use went up by one-third.
The natural world
In terms of nature, the report said more people spent time outside between March and May this year compared to the same period in 2019.
93% of people were walking more, the report said, and there was a 70% increase in people engaging with local wildlife.
Speaking at a briefing about the report, Micheal Lehane, the director of the EPA’s office of environmental assessment said: “[Green and blue spaces] allow people to get out in nature and away from everyday stresses, to the benefit of health and wellbeing and they need to be clean and protected.
An investment in the environment is also an investment in our health.
Some figures on the environmental impacts of the pandemic on issues like traffic levels have been released previously over the past few months.
Data from Dublin City Council, for example, showed a significant drop in traffic volume in and out of Dublin city between 12 March, the day school closures were announced, and 12 April.
Jonathan Derham from the EPA said one positive from the pandemic is a “far greater acknowledgement” of the value of science in informing national policy.
“I think we in the environmental world recognise that there’s an opportunity here for us. We [the EPA] are kind of the NPHET of the environment, really,” Derham said.
The other thing that is kind of interesting in the pandemic is that we can see when the government really wants to join itself up to take on grand societal challenges – it can actually do it.
“And we’re kind of asking for that across the environment too as well. We want to see environment in all policies and all elements of government, joining up to deliver on action,” he added.
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A 6 year old could have written that report , based on visual lockdown & hearsay
@Gerry Glynn: Because every 6 year old would have access to those figures. Great comment Gerry.
In terms of household waste- all disposable waste should have very simple labelling as to what bin to put things into. Eg Green/Grey/Brown. This would be very useful for a lot of people who just aren’t sure!
I think there’s a positive message to be learned from this and that’s to get away from car dependency and the 40-hour work week and our excessive consumption of meat.
We should be working less as a result of technological advances yet we were working harder for longer hours than ever before the lockdown and having to go on longer and longer commutes to get to our places of work.
The lockdown showed us that most of the jobs we were doing aren’t even essential and that the people who do the most essential work are often the worst paid.
There are so many positive lessons to be learned but the government seem determined to get things back to the way we were.
I realise not everyone will agree with this as many people thing the economy is the most important thing and that working in an office is the route to happiness and fulfillment.
@Fifty Shades of Sé: Vote #1 for Fifty Shades of Sé.
The mountain of plastic bottles from sanitizer gel /spray now in landfill or whatever poor country is now being used as recycling dump will surely cause an ecological problem!
I’d say there would be a pile the size of Mount Everest !
I initially thought it wasn’t included at all and eventually saw it buried in the graphics section, but the collapse in the number of flights must have had a huge environmental impact.
The country is overpopulated if we’re not meeting emissions targets otherwise we’ll have to live like the Flintstones
@Gerard Heery: The country isn’t overpopulated, people just aren’t willing to change how we do things or pay what is needed to meet our commitments.
For years we have racked up debts to pay for a more convenient lifestyle (Cars, convenience, meat every day etc.), now the bill is arriving, everyone is pointing fingers and shirking our responsibility to pay.
And when I say pay I don’t mean just money, it’s also lifestyle choices.
In terms of household waste- all disposable waste should have very simple labelling as to what bin to put things into. Eg Green Black or Brown Bin. This would be very useful for a lot of people who just aren’t sure!
In terms of household waste, all disposable waste should have very simple labelling as to what bin to put things into Eg Green Black or Brown Bin. This would be very useful for a lot of people who just aren’t sure!
“glass bottle intake” up 46%… yup.
@thesaltyurchin: Imagine the waste if Cannabis was legal!… oh wait.
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