Around three quarters (73%) of Northern Ireland citizens are either ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ concerned about the environment, a new report by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has found.
The Northern Ireland Environmental Statistics Report, for the 2024/25 period, found that pollution of the air, water and soil (28%), along with the illegal dumping of waste and litter (27%) were the greatest environmental concerns for households in Northern Ireland.
The report notes a significant improvement in air quality over the past decade or so – with roadside nitrogen dioxide levels falling from 40.6μg/m3 in 2012 to 22.6μg/m3 in 2024 – while as of 2022 greenhouse gas emissions had reduced 26% since 1990, to a current level of 21.3 MtCO2e.
Water quality
In terms of water quality, meanwhile, the province’s rivers have an average concentration of 0.065 mg/l of phosphorus per litre of water, while out of 25 in-shore coastal waterbodies measured, more than half (52%) were in a ‘good’ or ‘better’ ecological condition.
At the same time, some 1,886 pollution incidents were recorded in 2024, nearly half of which had a confirmed environmental impact.
Biodiversity
On biodiversity, more than half (54%) of protected site features are in a ‘favourable’ condition, while 38% are in an ‘unfavourable’ condition.
‘The findings in this report are based on the most recently available data at the time of publication for each indicator with most providing data on trends over time and where applicable, performance against quantified targets,’ DAERA noted. ‘The indicators that were included were determined in agreement with key data providers, policy colleagues and other interested parties.’
This is the 17th annual Northern Ireland Environmental Statistics Report produced by DAERA, with archives dating back to 2009. Read more here.
