Environmental Protection Organization: Insufficient Budget Allocated to Clean Air Law

The head of the National Air and Climate Change Center of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization announced that insufficient budget has been allocated to the 'Clean Air Law' and that the law has not been implemented. Dariush Golalizadeh told ILNA news agency that last winter, it was communicated to the Planning and Budget Organization that implementing the 'main outstanding obligations' of the Clean Air Law requires 107 trillion tomans, but only 840 billion tomans have been allocated in this year's budget for its implementation. He mentioned issues such as the development of public transportation, phasing out old vehicles, producing standard fuel, and developing renewable power plants to reduce air pollution. Golalizadeh also identified 'sanctions' and 'the country's financial resource limitations' as significant factors for the 'failure to meet these obligations.' This assertion comes at a time when the Islamic Republic continues to support its proxy groups in the Middle East, and the budget for military, security, religious, and propaganda institutions has increased in annual budgets. The Clean Air Law was approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly in 2017 and was supposed to address the pollution problem in Tehran and other metropolitan areas. According to this law, various executive bodies are obligated to take actions appropriate to their responsibilities to control air pollution. However, the air pollution problem has worsened in recent years. The head of the Air Pollution Research Center stated last February that air pollution has been on the rise over the past five years, with the concentration of particulate matter 'less than 2.5 microns' increasing by 'six times.' Mohammad Sadegh Hasanzadeh also mentioned that 45,000 deaths occur annually due to air pollution. Iran ranks eighth in the world in greenhouse gas emissions. Statistics from the Environmental Protection Organization show that out of 16 power plants in the country, 14 use mazut, and it is predicted that these plants will continue to operate with increased mazut consumption. In April, the Tehran Prosecutor's Office announced that cases have been opened against several managers from the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Oil, the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company, and the Environmental Protection Organization for failing to fulfill their duties regarding the implementation of the Clean Air Law. Ultimately, the Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy, the former CEO of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company, and the former Deputy of Human Environment at the Environmental Protection Organization were each sentenced to three years of suspension from public service. The head of the National Air and Climate Change Center of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization stated that there is no 'will' to reduce air pollution and address environmental issues. Polluted and suffocating air is a silent killer, causing thousands of deaths annually. The increasing number of casualties; a sandstorm sent '1,059 people' to hospitals in Sistan and Baluchestan. Research reports indicate a toxic chemical composition in Iran's polluted air due to poor management in the energy sector. New studies show that chronic air pollution reduces human life expectancy by more than two years. Living in Tehran is akin to breathing in a gas chamber; there is no hope except for the wind.