The EPA continued to perform effectively on a wide range of statutory functions for the protection of the environment in 2014, and to deliver valuable outcomes for society while taking on new responsibilities. Laura Burke, EPA Director General was speaking at the release of a review of EPA activities in 2014.
Highlighting some specific activities in 2014, Laura Burke said, “As required as part of the Government’s Public Sector Reform Plan, we successfully completed the merger of the EPA and Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII), on time and within budget, in the first part of the year. The EPA’s newly established Office of Radiological Protection began operations on 1st August 2014. Together with its other responsibilities, the EPA is now the national competent authority for matters to do with ionising radiation.”
In relation to accessible information for the public, Laura Burke said, “An intrinsic part of the Agency’s function is its role as knowledge provider. The EPA launched a new map-based service in 2014 called ‘My Local Environment’. ‘My Local Environment’ provides a wide range of information, including live data, about the quality of the environment where people live, work and play. The EPA will continue to identify ways to provide the public with information on the environment that is easy to access and understand.”
She concluded by saying, “Limiting and adapting to Climate Change is a global challenge. As well as providing national greenhouse gas projection and emission figures each year, the EPA’s popular Climate Change Lecture Series provides a platform from which the public can hear current scientific knowledge about climate change. In 2014 we brought three Working Group Co-Chairs of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to Ireland to give public lectures. The lectures were webcast and videos, slides and transcripts made available on the EPA’s website and You Tube channel.”