Environmental Topics (original) (raw)
Climate Change
Climate change means a significant change in the measures of climate, such as temperature, rainfall, or wind, lasting for an extended period – decades or longer.
Air
Air quality in Ireland is generally good however there are localised issues in some of our cities, towns and villages.
Drinking water
Depending on where you live, your water supply either comes from a public water supply operated by Irish Water, or a private water supply such as group water schemes or your own household well.
Waste
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a number of roles with regard to waste.
Freshwater and Marine
Fresh, clean water is vital for all life on earth. Ireland has some of the best water quality and cleanest beaches in Europe. Ireland’s climate means that there is usually enough water to meet the needs of its people and the surrounding environment. The EPA monitors and reports on the health of Ireland’s waters.
Radiation
The EPA assess exposure to radiation from sources in the environment through monitoring programmes and operates a graded authorisation system to register and licence any practice involving the use of radioactive sources or equipment such as X-ray.
You are exposed to radiation from either natural or man-made sources present in the environment.
Waste water
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the environmental regulator of Uisce Éireann. We issue and enforce authorisations for waste water discharges.
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Do you want to know more about septic tanks and other domestic waste water treatment systems?
Noise
The EPA is the national authority for overseeing the implementation of the Environmental Noise Regulations.
Circular Economy
In the circular economy system, we replace our current take, make, use and dispose system. Instead, we use less raw materials, we design products for long-life and recyclability, we share products or use them for longer, we reuse and repair things before we recycle or throw them away.
Radon
Radon gas is the second biggest cause of lung cancer after smoking and is directly linked to almost 300 lung cancer cases in Ireland each year. It is a serious public health hazard and the Government has published a strategy to tackle the problem.