TEHRAN –According to Shina Ansari, the head of the Department of Environment (DOE), no single organization will be able to successfully preserve the environment on its own; environmental issues will be best addressed through public participation.

“There are many environmental challenges in habitats, wildlife, and wetlands which can not be tackled just by the efforts and measures of the Department of Environment,” IRIB quoted Ansari as saying.

The official made the remarks at the closing ceremony of the 22nd international environmental exhibition which was held from December 18 to 22.

According to the Constitution, protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility, Ansari added.

She went on to call for assistance and cooperation from different strata, organizations, economic sectors, activists, as well as government bodies like ministries of education, agriculture, and foreign affairs. 

To be able to preserve the environment, we need to recognize it as one of our main concerns, Ansari further noted.

The 22nd international environmental exhibition was held with the theme of ‘public involvement, green economy, sustainable future’.

It focused on ‘economic environment, environmental economy’, to highlight the importance of social responsibility in protecting the environment.

It aimed to raise public awareness about environmental issues, provide an opportunity for the exchange of knowledge and experiences among experts, specialists, and environmental activists, and introduce and encourage the use of innovative solutions and advanced technologies to reduce fuel and energy consumption.

Preserving natural resources, fostering interactions and cooperation between institutions, organizations, and companies active in the field of environment and energy, promoting the concepts of sustainability and social responsibility among the people as well as encouraging environmentally friendly behaviors were among the other goals of the exhibition. 

The event also sought to persuade industries, mining, and petrochemical units to support the preservation of plant and animal species and encourage them to take steps toward enhancing air quality.

Administration’s environmental policies  

During the presidential election, the environmental committee of the elected President Masoud Pezeshkian offered a program with a focus on the preservation of the environment and the stability of the country.

The program is structured around six axes: moving towards a green economy; managing and improving various quantitative and qualitative dimensions of environmental imbalances (such as economy, energy, and water); effectively protecting biological resources (including natural resources and biodiversity); achieving good environmental governance; addressing public demands in the field of environment, and enhancing international bilateral or multilateral cooperation in the field of environment.

To compile the program, general environmental policies, Article 50 of the Constitution, and other national policy documents have been taken into account.

Moreover, the president-elect has highlighted the necessity of observing environmental considerations in development plans.

Pezeshkian believes that no development plan should be initiated without taking environmental considerations into account; in other words, the environment should be the central pillar of all development matters.

Referring to the increasing occurrence of sand and dust storms (SDSs) in the region and the environmental statement on bolstering environmental diplomacy, the administration of Pezeshkian will definitely endorse regional and global interactions to tackle not only SDSs issue but also water diplomacy and transboundary waters as other critical issues.

Exchanging regional and global experiences in the field of environment, laying the ground for facilitating interactions and benefiting from global experiences and modern knowledge, and participating at various levels of environment-related negotiations in order to attract resources, enhance capabilities and secure national interests are parts of objectives in this context.

Drafting a binding legal document within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity to protect biodiversity, and manage valuable ecosystems such as national parks and national natural monuments has been highlighted.

Also, preventing the extinction of endangered species including cheetah, and bustard will be a top priority.

MT/MG