EPA Launches Science and Sustainability Report

The EPA report, ‘Science and Sustainability’, has been launched. The report outlines how EPA-funded research has provided significant support for environmental policy and decision making at national and international levels.

The EPA provides funding to scientists, engineers and innovators working on research across a range of thematic areas. This research is closely tied to Ireland’s environmental policy needs, both in terms of filling knowledge gaps for environmental protection and also supporting the green knowledge economy. The new report explains how research underpins environmental protection. It also highlights key achievements demonstrating the benefits of EPA research funding. Examples include:

* Analysis provided by EPA-funded research provided the basis for reporting a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from landfills of 0.7 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent annually. Estimated savings to the exchequer are approximately Eur50 million over the Kyoto Protocol period (2008-2012).

* EPA STRIVE research funding has enabled the development of a Sustainable Development Research Model for Ireland (ISus) which forecasts environmental emissions (to air, soil and water) and natural resource use (energy, land and water) to 2025. Linked to the HERMES macroeconomic model for Ireland, ISus allows integrated planning of economic and environmental development.

“Targeted and reliable environmental research provides an authoritative scientific basis for environmental policy and decision making. Building on our own experience of environmental monitoring, regulation and guidance, the EPA supports a broad-ranging programme of science to inform both environmental policy and eco-innovation,” says Dr Mary Kelly, EPA director general.

The new report, Science and Sustainability, is available to download from the EPA website at www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/research/.

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