Regarding Objective KA 16
This objective to protect and improve the air quality in Killarney needs to be fulfilled. In an Irish Times report from 1/07/2020 states from an EPA report that even during Covid-19 air quality in Killarney improved less because of the burning of solid fuels. This is not good enough for the citizens of Killarney, and, all citizens in Killarney deserve to breathe clean fresh air. I quote from https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/towns-and-villages-suffering-from-air-pollution-during-covid-19-pandemic-1.4293655 :
The burning of peat, timber and coal remains the largest single source of pollution in a series of major regional towns, according to a two-year study conducted for the Environmental Protection Agency. The reduction in car traffic flows caused by the Covid-19 lockdown led to a dramatic falls in the levels of harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the air in the State’s cities, especially Dublin. However, air quality in towns such as Killarney, Birr and Enniscorthy improved less since the majority of pollution there comes not from traffic, but, rather, the burning of solid fuels.
Moreover, in a journal.ie article from 11 July 2020 avialable at
https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/air-quality-pm2-5-solid-fuel-burning-5142631-Jul2020/
the UCC researcher stated that, “the average PM2.5 concentrations in Killarney and Enniscorthy were considerably higher than those in our large cities, even though these towns have a fraction of their population. Perhaps more worryingly, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) 24-hour mean guideline value was exceeded on 42% of the days (16 out of 38) monitored.”
Furthermore “It is now well established that exposure to PM2.5 can worsen asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cause heart attacks, strokes and even death. In fact, PM2.5 is responsible for the premature deaths of over 4.2 million people every year, with more than 1,100 of these deaths occurring annually in Ireland."
This is a Killarney environmental health issue and KCC need to be proactive. KCC may need a combination of reward and enforcement to change people’s use of solid fuels. Furthermore, KCC need to ensure that there is an air monitoring station in Killarney Town so that alerts can be sent out to vulnerable citizens such as citizens with asthma when the air quality is poor.