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Better Environment, Better Quality of Life

The Challenge

Ireland is the 'dirty man' of Europe. As well as producing the most CO2 per capita in the EU, we also produce more waste per capita than our fellow EU citizens. Over the past ten years, the European Commission has initiated legal proceedings against the Irish government for no less than thirty infringements of environmental directives. Included in these is the failure to ensure that potentially fatal bacteria were absent from Irish drinking water.

One of the most pressing environmental challenges we face is waste. Improvements in recycling rates are eroded by the fact that we are still producing more and more waste every year. A growing waste problem such as Ireland's is a by-product of greater affluence. An expanding economy and growing population mean that unless we tackle our consumption patterns and disposal habits now, we will face some extremely hard choices over the coming years.

The outgoing government has primarily focused on the problem of disposal, and has made the choice to divert waste to local incinerators. However, incinerators can have negative environmental and public health impacts, which is why they are rarely welcomed by local communities. Dressing incineration up as 'Energy from Waste' does not make it any more palatable. Burning municipal (or 'wet and dry') waste is an extremely inefficient way of generating energy. Furthermore, these incinerators need be 'fed' to guarantee the electricity they do produce, thereby doing away with incentives to recycle or cut down on waste.

Simply cutting down on waste reduces or even eliminates the need for unsightly landfill and unwanted incinerators. We can legislate to cut down on non-biodegradable packaging and make it easier for householders to recycle as much of their waste as possible.

Furthermore, joined-up policy on waste reduction and recycling can create jobs. Instead of the current policy, which would drive the creation of incinerators and waste to fill them, we could get 'Money from Waste' in the form of a domestic recycling industry. At present we pay for three quarters of our recycling to be done abroad. If we had a strong indigenous recycling industry, it would be in our financial as well as our environmental interests to 'feed' that industry as much as possible through high levels of recycling.

Waste is just one area where we need a real commitment to sustainable environmental policies. Fast-tracking investment in drinking water facilities is another, as demonstrated by the recent crisis in Galway. Declining water quality in our lakes and rivers, poor conservation of biodiversity and our countryside, dirty, littered streets, rocketing carbon emissions and the retreat from action on Sellafield sully the record of the past ten years.

The environment and environmental services have been a low priority for the outgoing government, the price for which will be paid by households and communities around the country, and future generations.

Ireland can do better

Protecting the environment is an investment in our quality of life. Irish people have the right to free, clean drinking water, safe and sustainable waste disposal and clean and pleasant cities, towns and countryside.

What Labour will do

Waste and recycling

We will:

Establish a National Waste Management Agency, which will include a state authority for recycling charged with the development of recycling infrastructure and a market for recycled products.
Remove any charge for the collection of waste destined for recycling. We believe that householders should be rewarded for making sound environmental choices.
We will introduce a National Waiver Scheme for domestic charges, which would be binding on local authorities and which would apply to low-income households, pensioners, large families and people with special needs.
Aim for every household in Ireland to recycle 50 per cent of their waste by 2012, rising to 75 per cent by 2020.
Establish a per capita target for municipal waste to encourage householders and local authorities prevent waste production.
Explore using anaerobic digestion for localised heat and energy production.
Price landfill and incineration so that recycling is the most economic option for waste disposal.
Explore the use of Mechanical Biological Treatment to deal with non-recyclable waste.
Require producers to assume responsibility for waste reduction at source through less and smarter packaging.
Explore the use of an environmental levy on hard-to-recycle products, such as disposable cameras, non-rechargeable batteries, white goods which do not have multi-annual repair warranties and multi-layered beverage cartons.

Water

Establish the right to clean, potable water under Irish law.
Bring forward legislation which will require local authorities to develop strategic water plans for their area.
Ensure that there is no privatisation of the public water supply, and no reintroduction of domestic water charges.
Accelerate investment in water treatment facilities.
Fully implement and enforce EU legislation, especially the Nitrates Directive, the WFD and the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
Increase monitoring of waters and prompt ongoing publication of data in a user-friendly manner, taking the bathing water reporting as a model.
Carry out a full public review of pressing water issues, including fluoride in water, water metering and decisions on water-related designations.
Seek better control of what enters waters, including cleaning agents, which kill sewage treatment organisms, and ban phosphates in washing powders.
Make the installation of low-flush option toilets mandatory in all new housing.

Clean communities

We will clamp down on environmental crime, including pollution, illegal dumping, littering and graffiti. We will introduce new legislation to protect and enhance public space and the public's right to enjoy it.

An expanding economy and growing population mean that unless we tackle our consumption patterns and disposal habits now, we will face some extremely hard choices over the coming years.

Biodiversity

Labour in government will:

Review Natura 2000 site protection and management with a view to having real management in place in at least 75 per cent of sites within a short time frame.
Set up Biodiversity Units in relevant government departments in line with a commitment given in the first NBP to ensure biodiversity is integrated early into plans, policies and actions.
Significantly increase native broad leaf species according to RIO 2000 and implement a Timber Policy that ensures timbers and wood-based products used in public buildings come from responsibly managed forests.

Coastal Zone Management

Labour in government will bring forward a National Coastal Zone Management Plan. This plan will give local authorities defined functions for the protection of their coastal amenities and for the provision and maintenance of coastal infrastructure.
We will reform the legislation governing developments in the coastal zone.
We will pursue a policy aimed at maximising public access to our coastal amenities, protecting the coastal environment and supporting coastal communities.

Public Participation

We will:

Transpose the two EU directives guaranteeing citizen rights in relation to public participation and access to environmental information into Irish law and fully implement the same.
Ratify the Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters.
Set up an Appeals Board to enable citizens to challenge dredging and other licenses granted at sea without having to go to the High Court.
Provide representation for environmental groups in key forums including the National Economic and Social Forum and the national 'Working Group on Public Participation' under the Water Framework Directive.
Establish an Environmental Pillar in the social partnership process.

Environmental Education

All of our new model schools will incorporate low-energy and environmentally-sustainable design features. We will also work with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment to incorporate environmental education and civic responsibility across the primary and second level curricula and into the ethos of education in Ireland.

Sellafield

Labour in government set in motion the first comprehensive and coordinated campaign against the British nuclear industry. It was the work of a team of scientists and legal experts established when Labour was last in government which led to the British government refusing permission for the NIREX dump. However, under the current administration that team of experts has been disbanded, and the inter-ministerial working party on Sellafield downgraded.

Labour in government will reinvigorate the national campaign against Sellafield. We will upgrade the Ministerial task force and resource the RPII to monitor the threat from Sellafield. We will work with NGOs campaigning against Sellafield.

The threat from Sellafield and British nuclear power stations will be taken seriously, as opposed to the belated and confused approach of the outgoing government and its unfortunate Minister for nuclear emergencies.A detailed and workable emergency plan will be drawn up with open public participation in the strategy process.

We will also legislate to comply with Ireland's obligations under the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and will promote nuclear disarmament in international forums.