A tradition of only envisioning clean air
By Mostafa Shirmohammadi
Editor-in-Chief
For the past two decades or so, Tehran has been suffocating during the second half of the year as a result of inversion. Despite changes in authorities, the problem of air pollution in the megacity persists and has even worsened. Various solutions have been proposed, but none have been followed through in order to permanently resolve the issue. The lingering issue of excessive air pollution in Tehran, as well as in other major cities in Iran, seems unsolvable to those familiar with the current state of affairs.
Dariush Gol’alizadeh, an official with Iran’s Department of the Environment, recently emphasized the importance of fully implementing the Clean Air Law as the key to address air pollution. He said numerous provisions within the law had remained unimplemented over the past two decades.
Gol’alizadeh further underlined the significance of developing public transportation, managing fuel usage, and reforming fuel consumption. He also pointed out that due to sanctions, the necessary technological advancements to address air pollution had not been applied, hindering improvements in vehicles and power plants.
Although Iran has passed laws on clean air, the reality is that the air we breathe, particularly during the second part of the year in major Iranian cities, is far from clean. What adds complexity to the matter is the perplexing fact that authorities, without exception, are well aware of the necessary actions to resolve the problem. Yet, year after year, the situation worsens.
Not only does public transportation fail to expand and improve, attracting a larger number of citizens, but also it deteriorates. Old vehicles are not being disposed of, and the quality of new cars produced by Iran’s unchallenged automobile giants does not inspire hope for reduced emissions. The lack of motivation to enhance their offerings and maintain a competitive edge in the market seems to hamper any action from being taken.
Moreover, green spaces in Tehran are not expanding significantly, and the few remaining trees and gardens in the city are being cut down or destroyed to make room for building facades or replaced by residential towers.
Addressing air pollution requires prompt action, including the relocation of polluting industries and upgrading equipment in terms of emissions, as well as carrying on with the aforementioned solutions. However, authorities seem to only envision clean air without actively working toward achieving it for the population.
The fact is that while we continue to inhale unhealthy air day in and day out, it appears that nobody truly cares. The statistics on air pollution-related deaths in Iran are already staggering and continue to rise. How many more lives should be lost before the authorities awaken from their clean-air dreaming?