A new report has said that Ireland's car dependent transport system is fuelling a slow-motion health and climate emergency, driven by physical inactivity, chronic illness and environmental degradation.
It says that embedding active travel into daily lives would deliver a range of health and environmental benefits for everyone.
The report 'Active Travel: The Magic Pill' is from the Irish Climate and Health Alliance, which is made up of over 30 medical, health and social care professional organisations and other groups.
It estimates that physical inactivity costs Ireland €1.13 billion a year in healthcare.
Just 30 minutes of walking or cycling a day can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers, according to the report.
The findings show that six in ten adults are insufficiently active, only a minority of children meet physical activity guidelines and just four out of ten primary schoolchildren walk or cycle to school.
'We sit for the vast majority of the day. We sit at desks, in cars, on couches, and it's taking its toll'
Private cars are still used for most journeys made by people, even when many of these trips are relatively short, 2km or less.
The report says that walking or cycling would take 680,000 cars off the road every day in the five largest cities.
It notes that Ireland's climate commitments include a 50% reduction in transport emissions within five years, relative to 2018.
Chair of the alliance Dr Sean Owens, who is a GP, said that the current societal structure means that "we sit for the vast majority of the day. We sit at desks, in cars, on couches, and it's taking its toll".
