Regime’s shortcomings on Iran’s environmental issues

 

Overview

In the last few decades, a host of environmental concerns have been raised by scientists, environmentalists, democratic countries, NGOs, the United Nations, etc. Although the language and vocabulary used in showcasing these concerns might be different, they share a stark commonality; the health of our planet, our only home, is in serious peril.

The environmental change sweeping the world is occurring at a faster pace than previously thought, making it imperative that governments act now to reverse the damage being done to the planet, says the most authoritative study that UNEP has ever published on the state of the global environment. Across the world, climate change, the loss of biodiversity, land degradation, and water scarcity are growing problems that need to be urgently addressed if the world is to achieve the goals set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the reports state.

These environmental concerns have been approached differently by different countries around the world, most trying to implement environmental policies and short and long-term plans to bring some kind of balance to our global ecosystem.

A brief glance at Iran’s environmental concerns

The state of the environment in Iran, however, is a different story. More than four decades ago, when the Shah’s dictatorship was replaced by a new religious dictatorship, not only were the people of Iran affected, but the environment was also severely impacted. The appalling rate of deforestation across the country, the excessive building of dams, diverting the paths of major rivers for industrial use, the colossal mismanagement of underground water, severe lack of regulations for industrial polluters, the excessive presence of chemical and hazardous industrial particles in the air, are just a few examples of Iran’s environmental issues.

Environmental disaster in numbers

1. Annual death of 41,700 Iranians due to air pollution. In total, 28% of the days of the year in the country have good or clean air and about 50% have acceptable air. The remaining percentage is unhealthy air for sensitive groups. (Iranian state-run media)
2. Somayeh Rafiei, the head of the environmental committee of the parliament said Mazut oil is one of the main sources of air pollution, which leads to significant pollution in Iran.
3. Hamidi, the Chief of the Greater Tehran Traffic Police said according to the statistics of the World Health Organization, in 2021, Tehran was the 19th most polluted city in the world. “We still use diesel buses that cause pollution and are out of date.”
4. In cities like Ahvaz in southwestrn Iran, pollution is mostly caused by fine dust in the air, which can be due to water mismanagement. (Fars News Agency)
5. Taghvaii, an environmental expert said in the city of Arak, we face more industrial problems, and in cities whose power plants are close to the urban areas, we have seen the problem of sulphur air pollution. In Tehran, most pollution is caused by fuel combustion issues of cars.
6. Mardom Salari state-run Newspaper: 10% of infant deaths under one year of age are attributed to air pollution.
7. Office of Public Relations and International Affairs, Audit: Costs related to deaths due to air pollution in 25 cities of the country in 2020 are estimated at about $4.3 billion, which indicates the very high costs imposed on society due to exposure to air pollution.
8. Ali Banagar, head of the forestry scientific association affiliated with the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands: “Apart from natural factors, villa and road construction, developmental projects, dam construction, wood smuggling, encroachment on forests and land grabbing, forest fires, coal mining, livelihood activities including agriculture, providing fuel and excessive livestock grazing, social and economic problems, and exploitation of natural resources, pests, environmental pollution and landfills, and many other factors have reduced the quantity and quality of forests. Between 2015 and 2020, approximately 12,000 hectares of forests across the country were wiped out annually. Each of these variables have increased or decreased in recent years, but the result is alarming.” In the southern provinces, illegal harvesting of plant species, human interference and uncontrolled grazing, and atmospheric factors are effective in deforestation.

Iranians protest

All these signs and acknowledgments by government officials point to the very fragile, unstable, and sad state of the environment in Iran. Despite such undeniable facts, the regime in Tehran plays the game of ignorance towards this vital and crucial matter. There have been several widespread protests and demonstrations regarding the shortage of water, the excessive use of water resources for government-affiliated industrial plants, and the irresponsible and illogical construction of dams in different large cities across Iran. The government’s response to these peaceful demonstrations and protests has been violent and sometimes deadly. Many protestors were arrested, imprisoned, and prosecuted. The regime in Tehran, time after time, has proven to be incapable of providing any kind of relief and comfort for its people. The mismanagement of the regime’s Ministry of Environment and its long list of corruptions have brought Iran’s rich environment to its knees.

his article was first published by irannewswire