Mayo scientist co-authors landmark report
The River Blackwater at Ballyhooley, Co Cork Pic: Larry Cummins
Tara Higgins, a native of Ballyhaunis, is one of the authors of a landmark report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the ‘State of the Environment 2024’.
A scientist based at the EPA’s Wexford headquarters, Tara co-authored chapter 16 of the report, titled ‘Environmental Policy Implementation and Performance,’ an analysis of Irish government efforts to implement policy protecting the natural environment.
Overall, the report is damning of the state of the country’s natural life with a collapse in river water quality due to intensification of agriculture and inadequate urban wastewater treatment facilities. Irish carbon emissions and waste per capita remain well above the EU average.
There have been some areas of progress, such as reducing air pollution. A laggard in Europe on climate action, Ireland is being pursued by the EU in 19 separate cases for infringement of EU laws protecting the environment and natural habitats.
