TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakcchi said sanctions and geopolitical tensions undermine climate cooperation and hinder cooperative action.
“Climate change is no longer a threat to the future, but a current reality where the impacts are increasingly felt every day,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website quotes Arakichi as saying.
“The movement caused by rising temperatures, water shortages, widespread wildfires, ecosystem destruction and climate have become a living reality for millions,” he said, “it was held on Monday at the 17th BRICS summit session on environmental, COP 30 and global health held in Brazil.”
It highlights the important role of BRICS as a symbol of North-South cooperation and a symbol of the nation’s independent voice, Arakich said: “Today, humanity is facing a series of interconnected crises, from climate change and environmental degradation to increasing threats to global health, and ultimately unfair structures that hinder progress in developing countries,” he said.
The officials then spoke about Iran’s position in climate-disordered areas, saying, “We have implemented a national programme focused on water resource management, renewable energy development and the recovery of native ecosystems.”
Iran’s top diplomats emphasized that effective climate crisis response requires climate justice, acknowledging the historical responsibility of developed countries for environmental destruction, providing financial resources and acknowledging its important role in relocating clean technologies to developing countries.
Meanwhile, Araqchi expressed concern over industrialisation and the failure of developed countries’ governments to fulfill their commitments, resulting in large part of global environmental challenges, including greenhouse gas accumulation, global warming, and various pollution of actions by developed countries.
He said these countries must not only reduce emissions and lead to the fight against pollution, but also provide environmentally compatible technologies to account for their historical responsibility, to provide financial resources, technical assistance and the damages caused to developing countries.
The Foreign Minister noted that sanctions and geopolitical tensions undermine climate cooperation and hinder coordinated action.
“Unfair sanctions and unilateral enforcement measures imposed by several developed countries on developing countries, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, under political pretext, pose a serious obstacle to the efforts of these countries,” Arakich said.
He noted that this contradicts the detrimental effects of climate change and the goals of the global community of collaborative action to achieve the eradication of poverty and hunger.
Arakich also mentioned recent acts of aggression by the Zionist regime, describing the actions as violations of international law, the UN Charter and IAEA law, following the US involvement in Iran’s nuclear facilities. “It is a worrying situation that two nuclear armed regimes will attack the nuclear-free troops, signatories of the NPT, which are signatories of the NPT, under the comprehensive IAEA safeguard.
These reckless and aggressive behaviors require serious human, environmental, and irreparable ecological damage. ”
The Iranian Foreign Minister further emphasizes that Iran’s Islamic Republic is blessed with vast natural resources, human capabilities and a strategic geopolitical position, arguing that the decision is participatory, fair and based on the principle of general but differentiated responsibility. “Therefore, we call on BRICS and call on being a unified voice of the global South on climate and environmental issues,” Araqchi said.
The impact of climate change
According to the country’s former permanent representative and ambassador for Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), climate change has had a major impact on the agricultural sector and food security in many countries by affecting rainfall patterns, pollination, flowering, and even harvest times.
In some parts of the country, temperatures have risen 2 degrees, but the highest temperature in the world is 1.5 degrees.
Research shows that evaporation increases by 23% when the temperature of the planet is increased in degree, resulting in a negative impact on the agriculture and animal care sectors.
Climate change also changes plant growth patterns and disrupts the nutritional value of crops, he emphasized.
Furthermore, the unexpected effects of climate change, such as drought, floods and landslides, all have impacted food security.
The greatest threat to public health
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), climate change is the biggest threat to public health, and is projected to cause 5 million additional deaths worldwide between 2030 and 2050.
Approximately 80% of Iran’s land area occurs in arid and semi-arid regions. The country is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, said Alileza Raisi, a health ministry official.
He made his remarks on the occasion of World Environmental Health Day, which is observed every year on September 26th.
“In the last 50 years, temperatures in Iran have risen, but annual precipitation has decreased. Climate change affects individual health and welfare by affecting weather, water and food. Changing rainfall patterns causes floods, extreme heat, droughts and storms,” added Raisi.
Heat stress is associated with diseases such as fever fatigue, diarrhea, heart attack, stroke, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, climate change significantly enhances food, water, and vector-borne infections. These changes could threaten the country’s 40-year health outcomes, officials further noted.
In fact, climate change and disaster risks are fundamental threats to sustainable development, the lives and health of all humans around the world, and the reduction of poverty.
World Environment Day aims to raise awareness of environmental health issues and promote actions to improve and protect the environment of happiness for all living creatures.
This year, it has been observed under the theme of “Environmental Health: Reducing Disaster Risk and Creating Resilient Communities Through Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation.”
Building resilient and sustainable communities means addressing both climate change and disaster risks and integrating these risks and potential opportunities into development plans and budgets.
In addition to combating climate change by reducing the use of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions, promoting climate change – initiatives must be strengthened in terms of mitigation and adaptation – climate change is already here, and natural disasters driven by climate change become increasingly disasters.
The necessary responses to avoid disasters are disaster risk reduction initiatives and plans, including climate change mitigation and adaptation, and future policy measures to promote successful coordination to create resilient communities.
mt/mg