Q: Given that you are the UN Resident Coordinator in the Islamic Republic of Iran and you regularly follow Iran’s environmental issues, what do you think are the main environmental problems that Iran  is facing?
A: There are six real environmental issues in Iran:
1. The amount of carbon used in the economy – a high consumption of carbon
2. Water scarcity
3. Land degradation – whether the land is becoming desertified or deforested
4. Pollution – recently President Rouhani also expressed his concerns about this issue
5. Biodiversity declining
6. Legal and policy challenges related to managing the environment

Q: Air pollution is not the major issue we are facing?

A: I have just spoken of six major problems. Different people will see different elements in them. In  terms of air pollution that is something that will harm the health and welfare of many citizens – and not  just in Tehran – in fact some of the most polluted cities on the planet are located in Iran – cities like  Isfahan, Arak, Ahwaz, Sanandaj – these are the ones that actually have the greatest pollution measured  scientifically. But, although air pollution is a problem, in the long-run, I worry about water and land  degradation more. I believe there is a real need to focus on all the above mentioned issues.

Q: You recently visited Lake Orumiyeh, what is your assessment of the lake’s condition?

A: Yes, I recently visited Lake Orumiyeh. When I visited the lake I was devastated by what I saw. I saw a  dry, empty, white salt-bed. I saw wind blowing the salt all around inside what used to be the lake. I saw  it dumping that salty air on the agricultural lands outside of the lake, all around the edges. As a result of  that I saw fruit from the area piled up at the side of the road. It could not be used because it had too  much salt content. So the agriculture of the area is under threat. With agriculture under threat, livelihoods come under threat. When people cannot sustain themselves economically they move. And  they move to places where other people live. This causes tension and complications. So I am worried about the humanitarian side of what’s happening. And I worry about the ecological side of what is happening. I really was not expecting to see what I saw – and the condition of the lake shocked me.

Q: Do you have any hope for the survival of Lake Orumiyeh?

A: It took a long time to destroy the lake and it will take us at least just as long to rebuild it, but I believe  it can be fixed. I am not saying it will be easy, but it can be fixed. We are very encouraged by the steps that have been taken in the first 100 days of the new “Government of Hope and Moderation”. The  United Nations is here to support the government and we look forward to see what will happen next.

Q: In what ways can the UN assist and help improve Lake Orumiyeh’s condition?

A: We have already been helping. We have already been working with relevant ministries of  government to come up with a plan. The plan contains 20 points – what is lacking right now is a need to take political action to address the problem – we need to take political action to solve what is essentially  an environmental issue. The issue is about sustainability, and it should not really be a political issue.  But it is. This is because people have interests in that region – they may have an industry, they may  have land that needs water – so the basic problem is that the water has been diverted away from the lake to feed agriculture, drinking and industry in the surrounding basin. The key solution lies in taking some of that water – most of which is currently being diverted – and putting it back into the lake. As the  UN Resident Coordinator, environmental issues are on top of my agenda. My job as the UN Resident Coordinator is to try to use whatever technical resources we have – but more importantly whatever  voice we have (because of our partnership with Iran and because of the neutrality of the UN) – to draw attention to the problem and to try to fix it. In the past, environmental issues were not considered important issues, but now they are of critical importance. We have to learn to take care of the
environment. If we do not take the necessary steps now, then we will have to deal with the consequences of our inaction.

Q: How is the condition of other lakes in Iran?

A: Clmiate change projections warn that there will be a rainfall decrease which will hit Iran’s bread  basket – the area where Iran grows its food. If the rainfall decreases, the crop yield decreases. The next issue is that temperature will rise as a result of global warming. This has nothing to do with the management of Orumiyeh or management of qanats. But it is again a very worrying thing because an increase in temperature in these areas will also result in crop yield decreasing linked to the increased evaporation of surface water.
Q: Do such problems exist in other countries as well?

A: Absolutely. The situation of Aral Sea can be compared to what is happening to Lake Orumiyeh. The  Aral Sea – which is not a sea anymore, it is more like a beach – faced this situation because, like what we see happening in Lake Orumiyeh – water was diverted away from the sea and used for crop production. Nonetheless, there is hope for Lake Orumiyeh. So, yes, the problem can be fixed.

Q: What about air pollution?

A: This problem has also occurred in other countries. For example, in the 1950s in London 2,000 people  were dying each year as a result of air pollution. Then the British Government passed the Clean Air Act  in 1956 and now people in London are no longer dying of smog. So, yes similar cases have occurred elsewhere and the problem can be fixed. One thing to keep in mind is that Iran has to play a role in reducing its carbon footprint. In this way it can contribute – like all other countries – to reducing carbon emissions. I am confident that Iran will become fully seized of this issue and will adopt mitigation measures.
Q: Most people want to help save the environment but they do not know how and what they can do, do you have any suggestions?

A: There are a lot of people who want to help. I have met these people in many of the countries where I have worked. But there are others who are also damaging the environment. For example, they are cutting down tropical rainforest and old-growth forests at a rapid rate. Some of these people are doing this because they are hired to cut the trees down. And although they know what they are doing is wrong, they also have to earn money to put food on the table for their family. This underlines the role of government in any country to organize that country’s resources in such a way that people are not forced to do things that will contribute to destroying either the economy or the environment. For example, back to Lake Orumiyeh, a lot of people there are farmers and they need the water to grow crop and so they take the water away from the lake and they will continue to do so – sometimes legally and sometimes illegally – because they have to earn money. In most countries most people will take care of their own interests first and then maybe think about the environment. It is up to the  government to redirect that energy and to put in place laws and policies that prevent people from destroying their habitat – the environment. And the government must not only put those laws and policies in place, they must also enforce them so that there are legal sanctions for stealing water or for breaking the law or diverting a dam or whatever. That is the role of the government.
Q: How can the removal of sanctions help Iran’s environmental issues?

A: The removal of sanctions will improve a number of things. They will first of all allow people who are  suffering from medical problems to access medicine easily and cheaply, it will allow for children to get  better education both inside and outside the country, because more resources will be available. Removing sanctions will have an impact on the environment. For example, it will also – I believe – impact the issue of access to technology. That will allow us to better manage our environmental resources. In the context of air pollution, it may allow us to address the current issue of what type of fuel is used which is perhaps contributing to the quality of air that we are breathing here in Tehran and the other places I mentioned earlier.

Q: How about negotiating and seeking help from neighbouring countries? Are there any plans in place for this?

A: Help can come from Iraq and Turkey for some of these environmental issues, mainly – for example – on the dust and sand storm issue. These dust and sand storms are largely blowing into Iran from these countries. We need to engage with these countries to resolve these problems.

Q: Is the UN in contact with Iran’s Department of Environment?

A: Yes, we are very actively involved with the Department of Environment. We work closely with Madam Ebtekar and her team on all the mentioned issues – water, biodiversity, deforestation – so, yes, we are very engaged with them.

Q: How effective do you believe the government’s plans and actions have been?

A: In every country in the world there are plans. How well they get implemented is another thing. I think the emphasis now must be to prioritize the issue of the environment and move forward. We must look for solutions and we must implement these solutions. This is really the difficult thing. But don’t just look at Iran, look at the climate change negotiations we’ve had for the past 21 years. There are many people who say that these have not yielded the proper result. They say that what is therefore really required is global public awareness and action rather than emphasizing building legal frameworks. But I think that we need to do both. We need to move forward, and, as I have said before, the UN is here to support the government to find solutions for these challenges. There are many initiatives that are already underway on water, on deforestation, even on energy efficiency and what I would like to conclude this question by saying that we are extremely encouraged by the level of energy being shown on the environment by Madam Ebtekar, Department of Environment and our counterparts in the Ministry of Energy and by President Rouhani himself.

 

Q: How do you rate the environmental efforts of the Iranian Government and Department of Environment?

A: We do not rate government departments. What is a really interesting question would be how the Government would rate the support provided by the UN.

Q: How do you rate UN’s efforts?

A: My job is to see that the glass is half full and not half empty. So I have to be positive and optimistic. The UN is about engagement and solving problems. Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes we fail. But we have to keep trying. And that is the point. I have been working for the UN for the past 26 years and I have seen both our strengths and our weaknesses. Nonetheless, I am still working for the UN because “I believe”.

Q: Have you ever considered leaving Tehran due to its air pollution?

A: First of all, Tehran is not – by any means – the most polluted city that I have lived in. I once lived in a certain city for four and a half years with my wife and our children – and I went to work there every day. I was not in the job I am in now and I had no opportunity to contribute to air quality solutions. This is because my work focused on a different aspect of the UN’s work which had nothing to do with the environment. My point is that if – in that circumstance – I could go to work every day quite happily, here, where I am very keen to help to contribute to part of the problem, of course I will stay, no question. And that is my intention.

By UNDP

 

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