The Environmental Protection Agency has said taht more needs to be done to protect clean air in towns, villages and cities across the country.
Although air quality in Ireland is generally good and meets all current EU legal requirements, the EPA is concerned that it will be challenging to meet more stringent pollution limits due to come into force in 2030.
A new law imposing tougher air quality standards under a new Ambient Air Quality Directive was adopted by Europe in October last year.
It has not yet been transposed into Irish law, but there is a requirement for that to happen by the end of next year.
It aims to gradually align EU air quality standards with the latest World Health Organization levels, which are extremely tough.
As a result, it is expected that Ireland will need to achieve new and updated air quality standards with very tight limits by the start of 2030.
Those new limits will include targets for ultrafine particles of pollution and black carbon, which are not covered by the current requirements.
The EPA uses an extensive network of 115 stations to monitor air quality around the country.
Its Air Quality in Ireland 2024 report said around 1,700 premature deaths occur in Ireland each year because of poor air quality.
The aim of the new EU directive is to reduce premature deaths linked to pollution in Europe by 55% by 2030.
The report said Ireland is currently on course to achieve only 93% compliance with the proposed new limits for fine particulate matter and 78% for nitrogen dioxide.
The main sources for these pollutants are solid fuel burning in open fires and emissions from road traffic.
The report said a decisive shift away from solid fuel burning, alongside the adoption of electric vehicles, efforts to reduce traffic and the promotion of public transport will be needed if Ireland is to meet the new standards.
Director of the EPA’s Office of Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring Pat Byrne said: "Supporting people to shift towards cleaner heating and more sustainable travel isn’t about giving something up.
"It is about gaining healthier air and healthier lives."
Smoky coal ban 'not enough'
The EPA's Manager of Environmental Monitoring and Surveillance said the ban on smoky coal will not be enough for Ireland to meet the EU’s more stringent pollution limits, which are due to come into force in 2030.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Roni Hawe said more work needs to be done to bring down pollution levels from the burning of solid fuel and traffic emissions.
"What we say is that it's a problem in towns and villages and cities around the country," she said.
"So, we really do need to work hard on reducing our solid fuel burning and traffic emissions and focusing instead on a sustainable transport activities and cleaner ways of heating our homes," Ms Hawe said.
She added: "We definitely see some hot spots in terms of issues like particulate matter, so that would come from solid fuel burning in places like Ennis, Letterkenny and Tralee, just to name a couple of towns and Edenderry in Co Offaly."
Ms Hawe called for people to consider how they heat their homes as particulates from some fuels can be harmful to their own health.
"We use this opportunity to make them aware of the impact it can have on their own health and to make the cleanest choice that they can," she said.
She urged those who are reliant one solid fuel to heat their home to "look for a small low smoke fuel".
"Make the most effective choice that you can for the circumstances you’re in," she added.
