Ireland's Land Use Fails Climate, Nature, Water Goals, Report Warns
A report for the Irish Government indicates current land use fails climate action, nature protection, and water safeguarding. High-emission agriculture, low protected status, and water pollution are key issues. The study recommends a national land-use framework to address competing demands and achieve sustainability goals.
A new report for the Irish Government reveals that Ireland’s current land use model fails to support climate action, fulfill nature-protection commitments, or safeguard water resources. The study, titled «The Land Use Review – A Living Land», highlights that 67 per cent of land is used for high-emission agriculture, while aging forests, clear-felling, and degraded peatlands emit more carbon than they capture.
Only 13 per cent of land has protected status, far below the minimum 30 per cent required for nature protection. Additionally, half of Ireland's rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters are polluted, failing to meet a minimum «satisfactory» condition. The report warns of intensifying competing demands for land due to growing needs for housing, forestry, and renewable energy, alongside government aims to increase agricultural production and expand recreational spaces.
The study, the second phase of a review, was completed and presented to ministers for environment, agriculture, and housing in April 2025. It recommends developing a national land-use governance framework for «sustainable multifunctional land use» to achieve multiple public good objectives. While not adopted as government policy, Minister Darragh O’Brien stated its purpose is to inform policymakers and landholders on complex decisions regarding future land use.