Ireland's Responsibility Towards The Environment

Ireland [Country Profile Page]
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	10th best
Capital	Dublin
Land Area	68 890km21
Location	Europe
Population	4.8m2
Life Expectancy	82.00yrs (2017)3
GNI	$76 169 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	IE, IRL, 3725
Internet Domain	.ie6
Currency	Euro (EUR)7
Telephone	+3538

Regarding its responsibility towards the environment, Ireland comes 39th in the world. This is formulated from 21 data sets. Ireland comes in the best 20 when it comes to its environmental performance₉, its score on the Green Future Index₁₀ and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₁₁. It does better than average in energy to GDP efficiency₁₂ (amongst the best in Europe) and in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. Ireland still has work to do. Ireland does worse than average when it comes to the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₁₃ and in reducing annual meat consumption per person₁₄.

1. Ireland's Responsibility Towards The Environment
2. Data Sets
   1. Forest Area Change 2000-2020
   2. Environmental Performance
   3. Energy to GDP Efficiency
   4. International Accords on the Environment
   5. Rational Beliefs on the Environment
   6. Meat Consumption
   7. Green Future Index
3. Links

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1. Ireland's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#climate_change #the_environment

Compared to Europe (2025)15
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank15
1	Switzerland	45.0
2	Denmark	50.4
3	Liechtenstein	56.8
	...
7	Austria	59.6
8	Greece	61.4
9	Italy	63.1
10	Ireland	63.1
11	Cyprus	64.8
12	Hungary	65.8
13	Norway	66.9
14	Netherlands	71.1
15	Luxembourg	71.4
	Europe Avg	86.45
q=48.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)15
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank15
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
36	Cameroon	62.6
37	Italy	63.1
38	Jordan	63.1
39	Ireland	63.1
40	Burkina Faso	63.1
41	Gambia	63.3
42	Senegal	63.4
43	Hong Kong	64.6
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

2. Data Sets

2.1. Forest Area Change 2000-2020

#biodiversity #deforestation #environmentalism #forests #over-exploitation #the_environment

Averages by decade for Ireland (for the ranks, lower is better):

Forest Area Change 2000-2020	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
Ireland:	14.3%	8.6%
World Rank:	11th	⇣  14th
World Avg:	0.6%	-0.7%

2.2. Environmental Performance

#climate_change #energy #sustainability #the_environment

Environmental Performance Higher is better9
Pos.		20189
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
4	Malta	80.9
5	Sweden	80.5
6	UK	79.9
7	Luxembourg	79.1
8	Austria	79.0
9	Ireland	78.8
10	Finland	78.6
11	Iceland	78.6
12	Spain	78.4
	Europe Avg	69.6
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Ireland is positioned 9th-best in the world when it comes to its environmental performance.

The Environmental Performance Index 2018 data includes 24 indicators including air pollution, water and sanitation, biodiversity, ecosystems and environmental health, combined into a single score by country, by the Yale University Center for Environmental Law & Policy.

2.3. Energy to GDP Efficiency

#energy #sustainability #the_environment

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better12
Pos.		2022 Avg12
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
27	Yemen	0.59
28	Congo, (Brazzaville)	0.60
29	Bangladesh	0.61
30	Ireland	0.62
31	Dominican Rep.	0.63
32	Haiti	0.63
33	Denmark	0.65
34	Botswana	0.67
	Europe Avg	1.25
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

Amongst the best in Europe Ireland ranks 30th in the world in terms of energy to GDP efficiency.

GDP per unit of energy consumption is often called 'Energy Intensity'. It's how efficient countries are at producing GDP in terms of primary energy use. It represents primary energy consumption using the substitution method, per unit of gross domestic product (GDP). A lower value means that less energy was used to maintain the country's GDP.

Averages by decade for Ireland (for the ranks, lower is better):

Energy to GDP Efficiency	1960s  Average	1970s  Average	1980s  Average	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
Ireland:	3.29	2.41	1.97	1.56	0.97	0.72
World Rank:	53rd	⇡  42nd	⇣  99th	⇡  87th	⇡  49th	⇡  33rd
World Avg:	2.05	2.13	2.10	2.15	1.60	1.30

2.4. International Accords on the Environment

#environmentalism #internationalism

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
91	Monaco	60%
92	Burkina Faso	59%
93	Benin	59%
94	Ireland	59%
95	Colombia	58%
96	Turkmenistan	58%
97	Czechia	58%
98	Antigua & Barbuda	57%
	Europe Avg	62.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Ireland is 94th in the world when it comes to its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment.

Each country is scored using a formula that takes the date each country took up major international environmental agreements, as a ratio of maximum possible days. The agreements covered are: (1) the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, (2) the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for certain hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides, (3) the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, (4) the Waigani Convention (for those countries that are eligible), (5) the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), (6) the Kyoto Protocol and (7) its successor, the Paris Agreement, (8) the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), (9) the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and finally, (10) the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Ireland was amongst the first batch of countries who signed the Montreal Protocol on protecting the Ozone layer in 1988 whilst most others delayed until subsequent years.

“Ireland is committed to reaching climate neutrality by 2050 and to delivering a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, compared with 2018. Ireland accounts for 2.1% of the EU's net GHG emissions and achieved a net emissions reduction of 19.9% between 2005 and 2023, below the EU average reduction of 30.5% over the same period. Emissions from sectors under the EU emissions trading system (ETS) dropped 48.7% over the period. The role of agriculture means that Ireland's land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector has delivered net emissions. For the effort-sharing sectors, Ireland missed its 2020 target, and having exceeded its allocations since 2016, decisive action is needed to deliver on the updated 2030 obligations.”

EU 2023 Climate Action Strategy₃₄

Averages by decade for Ireland (for the ranks, lower is better):

International Accords on the Environment	1970s  Average	1980s  Average	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
Ireland:	0%	32%	48%	75%	98%
World Rank:	52nd	⇣  74th	⇣  99th	⇣  127th	⇡  74th
World Avg:	8.5%	23.3%	45.0%	74.4%	90.7%

2.5. Rational Beliefs on the Environment

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better13
Pos.		2011 %13
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
96	Macedonia	30.1%
97	Senegal	29.6%
98	Comoros	28.3%
99	Ireland	27.9%
100	Israel	27.6%
101	Palestine	27.5%
102	Saudi Arabia	27.2%
103	Belgium	26.9%
	Europe Avg	33.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Ireland ranks 99th in the world in terms of the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population. In a 2023 survey, 49% of the Irish identified climate change as one of the four most serious problems facing the world (compared with a 46% EU average)₃₄. "Most expect national government (56%) and/or the EU (51%) to tackle climate change, while 39% find it to be a personal responsibility"₃₄.

2.6. Meat Consumption

#animal_rights #animal_welfare #diet #food #health #meat #veganism #vegetarianism

Meat Consumption Lower is better14
Pos.		2021 kg14
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
141	Russia	78.4
142	Bolivia	78.4
143	Grenada	78.6
144	Ireland	80.2
145	Kuwait	81.3
146	New Zealand	81.4
147	S. Korea	81.5
148	Dominica	81.6
	Europe Avg	71.1
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

Ireland comes 144th in the world when it comes to reducing annual meat consumption per person.

There are five key arguments in favour of vegetarianism which accrue even from partial adoption: (1) Vegetarian diets have notable health advantages over carnivorous diets, especially for heart and cardiovascular issues_26,27,28. (2) It is morally better to avoid killing or harming animals. (3) Plant-based diets use much less water than carnivorous ones, to the extent that agricultural and water management scientists urge governments to encourage people to switch₂₉. (4) Vegetarian food production uses substantially less land_26,30,31. And, (5) vegetarianism is better for the environment than meat-production for emissions, sewerage, pollution and chemicals usage._26,30. A plant-based diet causes 75% less greenhouse gas emissions than a typical carnivorous diet₃₁. The global food industry causes about 1/3 of all planet-heating emissions, and so "to slow the worst climate effects, the United Nations has called for a drastic reduction in meat consumption"₃₁. Despite this, "reducing appetites for carbon-intensive meat and dairy is incredibly hard"₃₂ and as countries get richer, they tend to eat more meat.

In the 2010s, meat consumption per person in Ireland was well above the global average (of 49kgs per year), putting unnecessary strain on water supplies and the environment.₁₄

On average throughout the 2010s, Ireland's rate was 80.8.

2.7. Green Future Index

#climate_change #energy #sustainability #the_environment

Green Future Index Higher is better10
Pos.		2023 Score10
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
	...
11=	Germany	5.9
12	Belgium	5.8
13	Italy	5.7
14=	Ireland	5.7
14=	Canada	5.7
16	Luxembourg	5.6
17	Greece	5.6
18	Portugal	5.5
	Europe Avg	5.6
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

Regarding its score on the Green Future Index, Ireland ranks 14th-best in the world.

The Green Futures Index (GFI) has been running since 2021, and looks at 23 data sets for over 70 countries, with a focus on effectiveness, policy and planning 'for a low carbon future. It is complementary to existing goals and frameworks for sustainable development'. Datasets include qualitative appraisals and quantitative measurements on carbon emissions across multiple sectors, renewable and nuclear energy, recycling capabilities, green technologies used in building and construction, transport, scientific and industrial green innovations and patent quantities, climate action and climate policies. Each country is then ranked by their final score.₃₃.