60 Environmental Schools Established in the New Academic Year

The filling of the second pond of the Hoor al-Azim wetland has begun. The head of the Environmental Protection Organization stated that the filling of this wetland in Khuzestan province started a year ago. According to Masoumeh Ebtekar, the flooding of Hoor al-Azim is aimed at "eliminating dust sources" in the region. Starting from this October, a number of students from five climatic regions of Iran will attend 60 environmental schools. These two topics are the focus of this week's program "One House, One Land" on Radio Farda: The Hoor al-Azim flooding and the establishment of 60 environmental schools in the country. The Hoor al-Azim wetland is divided into five ponds, two of which are located in the northern part of the wetland and the rest in the southern part. Officials and some experts say that the drying up of Hoor al-Azim is one of the main reasons for the formation of dust storms in southern Iran. Hoor al-Azim, also known as Hoor al-Hoveyzeh or the Great Hoveyzeh Wetland, is not only the largest wetland in Khuzestan province but also one of the largest wetlands in Iran, located on the border between Iran and Iraq. According to some specialists and climatologists, the drying up of Hoor al-Azim in Iran and Iraq has increased sandstorms and caused Khuzestan province to face dust levels several times above the standard. However, the flooding of these ponds seems to be dependent on the shared oil field between Iran and Iraq. Consequently, news agencies have reported the sealing of the North Yaran oil field. Although the operator of this oil field told ISNA that activities in the shared oil field had been halted for the past five months due to environmental issues in Hoor al-Azim, the Khuzestan governorate states that unprincipled extraction and the construction of several roads in the middle of the wetland have posed serious challenges to Hoor al-Azim. "The previous government is to blame," said Masoumeh Ebtekar, who previously criticized the former government, stating that her ministry is negotiating and convincing the Ministry of Oil to open the dam related to the third pond of Hoor al-Azim to flood the wetland. Hamid Pouran, a senior environmental researcher at the Middle East and Africa Studies Institute at the University of London, commented on this decision: "Oil extraction is acceptable provided that environmental protocols and laws are followed. Unfortunately, over the past few years, evidence suggests that executing companies and oil contractors have not adhered to officials' recommendations, and oil extraction has occurred without considering environmental conditions. Sometimes correct policies have been communicated but not implemented." The Environmental Protection Organization states that despite its opposition in 2008, more than 7,500 hectares of Hoor al-Azim land have been allocated to the Ministry of Oil for oil exploration. This organization claims that these water barriers for oil extraction prevent water from reaching the downstream areas of Hoor al-Azim, leading to the drying up of a "large area" of the wetland. The head of the Environmental Protection Organization says that Hoor al-Azim has been completely dry since the mid-previous government, and the main reason for this has been drilling and oil extraction from this area. Now, this organization states that any activity for oil and gas exploration in Khuzestan province is contingent upon the inflow of water to Hoor al-Azim. Hamid Pouran, who has researched soil science and pollutant measurement for years, says that the environmental problems in this area are longer-lasting than these discussions: "A significant source of the problems faced by wetlands that have fallen into this condition, alongside climate change and drought, is managerial behavior and the failure to allocate water rights to wetlands and the prioritization of incorrect policies." Some environmental experts and researchers say that to combat dust storms in southern and western Iran, which also affects parts of Iraq, long-term solutions must be implemented. Although the Iraqi Minister of Environment, Foad Masoum, is accompanying the President of Iraq on his two-day trip to Tehran, and it is reported that solving the dust problem will be one of the negotiation topics of this visit, Ismail Kahrm, an advisor to the Environmental Protection Organization in Tehran, states that one long-term and fundamental solution in the region is to strengthen vegetation cover: "Every hectare of forest absorbs about seven tons of dust per year. If we act cautiously in constructing dams and roads and preserve wetlands and promote afforestation, we will at least not increase the amount of dust in the next 10 to 15 years." Nevertheless, officials in the Environmental Protection Organization say that to implement all these plans, the parliament has not allocated any funds in the environmental budget to combat dust, and has rejected the government's proposals to address this phenomenon in the 2015 budget. Starting from this October, a number of students from five climatic regions of Iran will attend 60 environmental schools. Preschool, elementary, and secondary school students in the Zagros region, Persian Gulf, Golestan, and Tehran can enroll in these schools for the 2015-2016 academic year. Mohammad Darvish, the director of the Office of Education and Public Participation of the Environmental Organization, mentioned years of work and research in establishing comprehensive environmental schools in the country and stated that these schools will be launched on a trial basis and will be monitored for 10 years until all schools in the country become environmental schools. According to him, in these schools, known by the acronym JEM, students will learn the ecology of their region based on the climate of each area. Alongside environmental lessons, water consumption will be reduced, paper will not be used, renewable energy will be utilized, and energy waste will be minimized. In these schools, a waste separation task force will be formed, and students will go to nature each week to become familiar with various plants in nature. For nine years, students will receive indirect environmental education, and from the tenth year, they will learn academic environmental education. Shokouh Mirzadegi, an advocate for cultural and natural heritage in the U.S. with years of experience teaching children, says that this plan will yield good results if parents are educated: "Environmental education is not something that can be applied overnight and established as law. Before this education even begins in schools, environmental education must start as a national movement, and families must be prepared to know how to take care of the environment." In May 2013, the first green school was inaugurated in Shahriyar County, and it was announced that in these types of schools, which will later increase in the country, energy consumption, attention to green spaces and trees, and increasing environmental awareness alongside extracurricular programs are among the conditions of these schools. In the summer of 2013, the Environmental Protection Organization published a 17-page guideline for comprehensive environmental schools and announced that the best time and place to create a mental belief in environmental protection is childhood and school. The guidelines for environmental schools emphasize training human resources, including teachers, trainers, and parents, through practical workshops and field visits. Climate, plants and animals, health, and hygiene will be incorporated into textbooks, and showing environmental films to students will be prioritized. Today's environmental conditions, described as critical by some officials, have reached a point where many environmental activists have accepted that education must start from school. Policy-making regarding environmental education and behavior towards animals and familiarity with wildlife begins in many countries at school. Officials say that in the new academic year, 35 textbooks in education have changed content, and the approach of many subjects at different levels focuses on raising awareness about a healthy environment. Shokouh Mirzadegi, a natural heritage advocate, says that all of this, alongside public culturalization in society, helps environmental education in the country: "Psychologists believe that a child receives at least 80% of their education by the age of 12. Attention to the environment is not just education; upbringing must also start from a very young age." Teaching various aspects of the environment in schools has been one of the dreams of nature and animal lovers and environmentalists in Iran, a dream that may gradually become a reality.