Part of the phenomenon of desertification in the country is due to mismanagement of water resources.

A significant factor affecting what is happening to the environment in Iran is the issue of climate change. National parks and natural reserves in Iran are not exempt from this matter; when we reach a point where in the province of Golestan, from the “Gomishan” wetland to Golestan National Park, we are faced with the phenomenon of dust storms; however, the issue is not just the result of climate change. According to the advisor to the governor of Khuzestan in environmental protection and fisheries in February 2015, “the half-meter water of the (Hoor Al-Azim) wetland is hindering oil extraction; for this reason, it must be dried up in order to extract oil” (1); meaning that they deliberately dried up the Hoor Al-Azim wetland in order to extract oil.

These very issues and processes are leading to the destruction of natural plant and animal resources in Iran, which are actually treasures that have been born for thousands of years and are now in our hands. The monthly magazine “Peace Line” had it in mind to arrange an interview with Dariush Golalizadeh, the head of the National Center for Air and Climate Change of the Environmental Protection Agency, to hear his views on this matter and to hear the reasons for these issues from him.

Mr. Golalizadeh, however, mostly talked about pollution and its problems, while according to Ismail Kahrarm, the advisor to the head of the Environmental Organization, in 1400, the contribution of old cars to air pollution has been estimated to be around sixty-five percent. (2).

In this conversation, the head of the National Center for Air and Climate Change of the Environmental Protection Organization, despite Mina Ebrahimi’s remarks, the deputy budget of the Center for Planning and Budget of the Environmental Protection Organization, who had said that the budget of this organization should be five times higher in 1402, did not only know the problem by the amount of budget and told the Peace Line magazine that “we must properly use the available resources and allocate and spend according to priorities and make proper use of legal, legislative and policy-making capacities to involve the private sector.”

According to this position, responsible for the environment in Iran, development is not delayed, but rather harmonized. The aim is to minimize the environmental impacts of development, as every activity has an environmental impact.

Explanation of the interview with Dariush Gholizadeh, the head of the Environmental Protection Organization’s Air and Climate Change Center, about climate change, natural resources, and national parks in Iran and their challenges according to your perspective.

What impact do you think climate change has on national parks?

The effects of climate change have been evident since 1840. In 1992, the issue of climate change and its impact on human life was brought to light, and the United Nations Convention on Climate Change was formed to address this issue. We can see the effects of climate change all over the world, and our country is also among the vulnerable countries. In the past few decades, we have experienced the consequences of climate change, such as floods, seasonal and geographical changes in precipitation leading to floods, land degradation, droughts, and dust storms. The issue of dust storms has caused significant damage to the country’s infrastructure, and has even affected food security through agriculture, as well as causing serious harm to biodiversity in Iran. We have witnessed fires in grasslands and forests, some of which were under the management of the Environmental Protection Organization. These damages have also had a continuous impact on insects and beekeeping, affecting their reproduction.

Are these problems occurring naturally or are they the output of functions?

These climate changes are the result of reckless and ignorant behavior of humans over the years. Excessive use of fossil fuels has caused damage to the ozone layer, naturally leading to these damages and climate changes.

You mentioned fossil fuels. The issue of pollution in Tehran is related to the burning of Mazut.

We do not have such a thing in Tehran. The Tehran Mazut Power Plant, known as the B’athat Power Plant, has been sealed by the judicial authorities since 1393. If the mazut is burned, its color is visible and people can see it.

If you were to ask why we have air pollution, it must be said that in the past years, when all of our power plants were gas-fired, we had worse air pollution and conditions. In 2013, sixty percent of our days were unhealthy due to air pollution. We have a problem with the increase in cars. Every year, one to one and a half million cars are added. Our sources of pollution have not decreased. In the discussion of cars, the number of our old cars has increased. Today, we have fifty-five million registered cars and about sixty million old cars in the country. These old cars are not only a problem in terms of emitting pollutants, but also in terms of fuel consumption, as they consume much more fuel than standard cars. A car stuck in traffic consumes about five times more fuel than a car in motion. Today, the per capita fuel consumption in the country is much higher than the targeted number in the plan. Ninety-four percent of the country

The question here is what tasks are more effective? One of them is the discussion of development along with the renovation of public transportation. In Tehran, more than eighty-eight percent of our gas-powered buses are outdated. More than eighty-one percent of our diesel buses are outdated. Our taxis are approximately fifty-five percent outdated. Our gas-powered minibuses are one hundred percent outdated. These outdated vehicles either need to be removed from the cycle or used. If they are removed, we will face problems in transportation and moving passengers. If they are used, we will increase air pollution. Therefore, if we are going to bring new vehicles to the metropolis, we must focus on electrifying and cleaning these means of transportation with the approach of minimizing the share of mobile resources, especially diesel vehicles, in increasing air pollution.

These pollutions have a direct negative impact on areas such as Sorkhehhesar National Park in eastern Tehran. Is there anything that can be done to reduce these effects on the vegetation and wildlife of areas like this national park?

Yes, it does have an impact, but we must reduce air pollution at its source; meaning improving public transportation and phasing out old cars and motorcycles. In addition, there is the issue of particle filtration, which is currently being monitored. Along with this, we must pay attention to actions that lead to an increase in sources of air pollutants. We must ensure that our programs and projects in major cities like Tehran do not exacerbate pollution, so that the actions taken have little to no effect. Naturally, this must be done continuously. The discussion of improving fuel quality and its nationwide distribution, as well as the development of renewable power plants to reduce dependence on fossil fuel plants, is also important. If we are moving towards electric cars, we must act in a way that their energy needs are met by renewable power plants.

Let’s move on to another national park. In Golestan National Park, which has a great and valuable natural heritage, we are witnessing an outbreak of pollen allergies. Why do you think this has happened and what can be done?

Vegetation cover is one of the factors that helps stabilize the soil and prevent land degradation. Therefore, when our vegetation cover is damaged due to reasons such as drought and wildfires, our lands do not turn into dust storms.

The issue is both vegetation coverage and animal coverage.

Yes. The vegetation cover, when destroyed, also affects the animal cover. When a habitat is damaged, the organisms living in it are also affected. National parks are very good genetic reserves for humanity. We should not lose them. In the future, many of our problems can be solved by the genes of animals and plants located in these parks and the animal species present in them. On the other hand, air pollution also causes damage. The role of vegetation cover in these areas is important in preventing air pollution, land degradation, and desertification. These have mutual effects; meaning that improving the air quality also improves the national parks, and the national parks also have an impact on improving air quality.

We are facing the phenomenon of desertification in our country, which poses a serious threat to us. Part of it is due to mismanagement of our country’s water resources. We must strive to increase our efficiency in land use; for example, in agriculture, our focus should be on efficient use of land and water instead of expanding land area. These two issues are addressed in the Law on Crop Pattern Reform, in the development and monitoring of crop patterns. If we do not act properly in our crop patterns and do not have proper monitoring, damage will occur. We are a dry and semi-dry country, and when it does rain or snow, we think it’s a miracle and that there is no longer a drought.

Do you think it is this approach and lack of proper management of water resources that leads to the digging of deep wells in Golestan province and their increasing depth?

All of these actions can have their own impact and can exacerbate problems. When the ecological capacity of the region is overloaded and exploited, it leaves its own effects; whether this exploitation is in products, groundwater, or other matters. These must all be in balance. Part of this balance is due to timely and proper human intervention, and part of it is due to natural factors and the interactions and reactions of the ecosystem itself.

Sometimes we are the agents ourselves. We deliberately dried up the Hoor Al-Azim marsh for oil extraction. Instead of desertification, desertification has also occurred officially.

Did you arrive at Hoor al-Azim from the national park?

The problem is that Lake Urmia is also a valuable natural resource for Iran in terms of plant and animal life.

Of course, we must ask the authorities about it, but in general, we must behave in a way that the wealth and treasures entrusted to us are utilized properly and passed on to the next generation; otherwise, we will be trapped in cycles where it may be impossible to gain from them or require a lot of financial resources and time. To reduce the effects of climate change, we must move towards adaptation; that is, developing adaptation plans for the effects of climate change. This is being pursued by the Environmental Organization. Climate change is happening right now, but we can minimize its effects by creating adaptation plans.

Do you think, considering all the environmental problems in Iran, some of which we discussed, that the budget of this organization is sufficient?

Naturally, we need a larger budget, but the issue is not just about the budget. We must properly allocate and spend the available resources according to priorities, and make use of legal and legislative capacities and policies to involve the private sector. With the presence of the private sector, the government does not need to spend. If we enter this field, we can make the best use of the available resources.

Do you mean you think we have a problem in policymaking in addition to the budget issue?

Yes, policymaking is also an issue and it should be handed over to the private sector. The government should initiate the privatization and the private sector should take over the work. The necessary enthusiasm must be created for the private sector.

The origin of the 50 fundamental laws considers environmental protection as a public duty and states: «

In the Islamic Republic, environmental protection, in which the present generation and future generations must have a growing social life, is considered a public duty. Therefore, economic activities and others that result in environmental pollution or irreparable destruction are prohibited.

Despite this, in the past four decades, the environment of Iran has become polluted and the situation has reached a point where the alarm bells are ringing. What do you think needs to be done to achieve this fundamental principle of the constitution?

The origin of the 50 fundamental laws has considered all aspects of work. Discussions such as the growth of life, economic development, public responsibility towards the environment, the issue of destruction and related issues, have all been placed together. This requires, firstly, serious participation of the people in preserving the environment, and secondly, environmental issues and aspects to be prioritized in all programs of the country’s executive bodies, even during legislation; meaning that any action that leads to irreparable damage to the environment is prohibited; meaning that creating a balance between economy, development, and the environment, which is the discussion of sustainable development, exists within these criteria.

Can we have the criticism that there has been no focus on strengthening and aiding the environment in the policy-making sphere, which has now led us to this situation?

We must use environmentally friendly methods and technologies in both our production of goods and our activities; in our construction activities and our development activities. We should consider the cost and benefit so that the result of project implementation is positive and effective in the direction of the country’s economic development. They do not delay development, but rather align with it. The aim is to minimize the environmental impacts of development, as every activity inevitably has an environmental impact.

Thank you for the time you have given us in the Peace Line magazine.

Footnotes.

1- Intentional drying of the Hoor Al-Azim wetland for oil extraction, Khabar Online, 13 January 2015.

2- Sixty-five percent share of old cars in air pollution, Hamshahri Online, 11 Mehr month 1400.