On November 17, 2015, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, announced the general policies on the environment, stressing the need for detailed, unified, and arranged management of crucial resources based on eco-friendly ability and sustainability, particularly by increasing capacities and appropriate legal and structural capabilities accompanied by public participation.However, it appears that carrying out the policies has not met its stated goals.Ali Salajeqeh, the chief of the Department of Environment, has actually stated after passing seven years, implementing the policies is not satisfactory.The policies call for developing a cohesive and nationwide system on the problem of the environment.Improving environmental conditions with the purpose of helping society enjoy a healthy environment, administering justice and observing intra-generational rights, preventing and restricting the blood circulation of all kinds of unlawful contaminants, tape-recording criminal offenses associated with the environment, administering effective and preventive penalty of polluters and destroyers of the environment and forcing them to make up for their actions, were likewise among the policies.Continuous improvement and control of air, water, soil, and noise contaminants, destructive waves and rays, and unfavorable climatic modifications, and making required the observation of environmental requirements and criteria in carrying out guidelines and guidelines, development strategies, and spatial preparation, were other problems that the Leader advised authorities to do.Over the previous 20 years, except for one or two years, the nation has been dealing with dry spell and lots of sources of sand and dust storms have been created.Preparing an environmental atlas of the country and securing, restoring, enhancing, and developing renewable natural resources (such as seas, lakes, rivers, dam reservoirs, wetlands, aquifers, forests, soil, meadows, and environmental variety particularly of wildlife), enforcing legal constraints on utilizing these resources in line with their ecologic capability (their sustainability and resilience abilities) on the basis of sustainability requirements and criteria, the management of sensitive and important ecosystems (including national parks and other national ecological heritage), protecting hereditary resources and establishing and improving them at the level of worldwide standards.Other posts of the general policies consist of handling climatic modifications, challenging environmental hazards such as desertification, dust particles, dry spell, and microbial and radioactive transmitters, promoting foresight and identifying and managing new ecological phenomena, broadening the green economy by emphasizing low-carbon markets, using clean sources of energy and healthy farming and organic items, the management of waste and wastewater by enhancing financial, social, natural and ecological capabilities and resources, the reformation of production patterns in different economic and social areas, the improvement of intake patterns of water, various resources and products, food and energy sources particularly through promoting those fuel sources that are in harmony with the environment.Moreover, the promotion of green and non-fossil modes of mass transit such as electrical modes and an increase in public transport especially in large cities, balancing and preserving, in an ideal method, groundwater through watershed and aquifer management, handling elements that decrease groundwater usage and evaporation and avoiding the entrance of pollutants, and developing an ecological auditing system in the country by considering ecological worths and expenses (damage, contamination, and revival) in national accounting are on the agenda.Supporting and motivating financial investments and innovations that are compatible with the environment by using correct methods consisting of green taxes, preparing an ecological behavior chart and promoting and developing ecological habits and culture based on useful Iranian-Islamic worths and patterns, and improving research studies and scientific research, making use of new ecological technologies, taking advantage of constructive domestic experiences in the location of protecting the balance of environments, and avoiding the environment from being contaminated and ruined are other parts of the policies.And finally, raising and strengthening social awareness, understanding, and outlook about the environment, and enhancing religious culture and mentors associated with social responsibility particularly through enjoining to do great and forbidding the evil with the function of preserving the environment at all levels of society, and reinforcing ecological diplomacy through efforts to create and enhance local organizations with the responsibility of facing dust particles and water pollution while reinforcing relations and encouraging purposeful and efficient cooperation-- bilateral, multilateral, regional and worldwide cooperation-- in the location of the environment and making effective usage of worldwide chances and incentives in moving towards a low-carbon economy and facilitating the transport and advancement of relevant technologies and developments are highlighted.Behind the scheduleDespite all the focus put by the general policies to strengthen efforts for environmental management, it seems that carrying out the policies has not fulfill its specified goals.Ahmad Lahijanzadeh, the deputy chief of the Department of Environment, has actually said that based upon the general policies revealed by the Leader, the environment is anticipated to experience an excellent circumstance by 2025, however data reveal that we are still behind the schedule in this regard.Underground water resources are in a critical situation and most provinces are coming to grips with water tension.Some 52 million hectares of land across the nation tend to be turned into sources of sand and dust storms, he noted.Over the previous 20 years, except for one or two years, the nation has actually been facing dry spell and numerous sources of sand and dust storms have actually been produced, he said, including that all advancement plans ought to take environmental management conditions into account.Underground water resources are in a vital circumstance and most provinces are coming to grips with water tension, Lahijanzadeh stressed.Reza Anjomshoa, the deputy chief of the Department of Environment for parliamentary affairs, has actually stated just 47 percent of the environmental policies have so far been implemented.Some 8 big sand and dust storm (SDS) hotspots extending to 270 million hectares in neighboring and Persian Gulf countries are affecting Iran, Ali Mohammad Tahmasebi, head of the national working group for reducing SDSs, has said.In the past 4 years, about EUR370 million has actually been spent by the National Development Fund to combat SDSs, which had good outcomes, but it seems that the annual credit is decreasing as conditions improve, he added.Parviz Garshasbi, deputy head of the Forests, Rangelands, and Watershed Management Organization, has said that according to the Sixth National Development Plan (2016-2021), desert greening steps were to be performed in 1,140,000 hectares of the countrys deserts, but up until now, the operations have actually been carried out in only 350,000 hectares of deserts.An approximated 2 billion lots of soil is lost due to erosion in Iran each year.
It takes approximately 400 years to form a centimeter of soil in the world, he stated, including that the amount of time is between 700 and 1000 years in Iran.Wind disintegration brings a yearly economic and environmental damage of 30 trillion rials (nearly $100 million) to the nation, according to the most recent studies in 2019.
The national budget expense for the current Iranian calendar year which started on March 21 has actually proposed 21 trillion rials (around $70 million) for the Department of Environment, an almost 75 percent boost compared to the previous year.The DOEs budget will be invested in air contamination management, sustainable conservation, and exploitation of water ecosystems, conservation, restoration and improvement of onshore biodiversity, preservation of protected areas, defense of rangers, wildfire avoidance, and promo of public involvement and awareness in environmental protection.MG