S.E.A CAAB 2021 Strategic Environmental Assessment Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 Draft For Consultation May 2021 Version 0.9 Disclaimer This document is provided as an independent third-party analysis. Reasonable care, skill and judgement have been exercised in the preparation of this document to address the objectives and to examine and inform the consideration of the identified topic. Unless specifically stated, there has not been independent verification of third-party information utilised in this report. Opinions expressed within this report reflect the judgment of AP EnvEcon Limited (trading as EnvEcon Decision Support) at the date approved. None of the contents of this report should be considered as financial or legal advice. AP EnvEcon Limited (trading as EnvEcon Decision Support) accepts no responsibility for the outcomes of actions or decisions taken on the basis of the contents. Reference EnvEcon, (2021), SEA Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill May 2021, 2021, Dublin: EnvEcon Acknowledgements We acknowledge the engagement and support of the competent authority- the Department of Environment, Climate and Communication, as well as the opinions and perspectives shared by the Environmental Protection Agency and other stakeholders. SEA Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 May 2021 Table of contents, figures, and tables NON-TECHNICAL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................6 1. Context ............................................................................................................................................................................ 6 2. The 2021 Bill .................................................................................................................................................................. 6 3. The SEA Process and Scope........................................................................................................................................ 7 4. Other plans and programmes ...................................................................................................................................... 7 5. Baseline ............................................................................................................................................................................ 8 6. Main environmental impacts and reasonable alternative ...................................................................................... 12 7. Mitigation measures ..................................................................................................................................................... 16 8. Monitoring and governance ....................................................................................................................................... 17 9. Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................................... 17 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 18 1.1 Context - Climate Change and Ireland ..................................................................................................................... 18 1.2 Context - Policy Developments in Ireland .............................................................................................................. 18 1.3 Proposals for an Amendment to the Climate Action Act..................................................................................... 21 1.4 The Strategic Environmental Assessment Approach ............................................................................................ 27 1.5 Structure of this report ............................................................................................................................................... 30 2. RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER RELEVANT PLANS, PROGRAMMES AND STRATEGIES 32 2.2 Climate ........................................................................................................................................................................... 32 2.3 Infrastructure and Planning ....................................................................................................................................... 34 2.4 Agriculture, Land Use and Forestry.......................................................................................................................... 35 2.5 Energy generation and Built environment............................................................................................................... 37 2.6 Transport....................................................................................................................................................................... 38 2.7 Waste ............................................................................................................................................................................. 39 2.8 Biodiversity ................................................................................................................................................................... 40 2.9 Air Quality .................................................................................................................................................................... 41 2.10 Water Quality ............................................................................................................................................................... 43 2.11 Landscape, seascape, and cultural heritage .............................................................................................................. 43 2 SEA Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 May 2021 3. BASELINE – THE STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN IRELAND ....................................... 44 3.1 Biodiversity ................................................................................................................................................................... 44 3.1.1 Biodiversity: Baseline .............................................................................................................................................. 44 3.1.2 Biodiversity: Environmental protection objectives ........................................................................................... 46 3.2 Population & human health ....................................................................................................................................... 46 3.2.1 Population and human health: Baseline .............................................................................................................. 46 3.2.2 Population and Human Health: Environmental protection objectives ......................................................... 47 3.1 Soil .................................................................................................................................................................................. 48 3.1.1 Soil: Baseline ............................................................................................................................................................ 48 3.1.2 Soil: Environmental Protection Objectives ........................................................................................................ 49 3.2 Water .............................................................................................................................................................................. 49 3.2.1 Water: Baseline ........................................................................................................................................................ 49 3.2.2 Water: Environmental protection objectives ...................................................................................................... 52 3.3 Air ................................................................................................................................................................................... 52 3.3.1 Air: Baseline ............................................................................................................................................................. 52 3.3.2 Air: Environmental Protection Objectives ......................................................................................................... 54 3.4 Climate ........................................................................................................................................................................... 54 3.4.1 Climate: Baseline ..................................................................................................................................................... 54 3.4.2 Climate: Environmental Protection Objectives ................................................................................................. 56 3.5 Cultural heritage & landscape .................................................................................................................................... 56 3.5.1 Cultural heritage, landscape, and material assets: Baseline ............................................................................... 56 3.5.2 Heritage and landscape: Environmental Protection Objectives ...................................................................... 57 3.6 Material Assets