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Iran ‘s failure to address climate change – a priority issue | Climate Crisis News

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It’s like being stuck between a stone and a hard place.

Iran’s response to climate change depends on a conservative government that prioritizes its economy over the environment, and on the other hand, an international community that treats the country as a pariah with severe sanctions imposed by the United States for its nuclear program. States.

A follow-up of world leaders descended on Glasgow (Scotland) in a crucial UN COP26 climate talks, with the Iranian Foreign Ministry announcing that President Ebrahim Raisi would not attend the conference, representing the country’s interests by a group of climate experts.

Officially recognizing the Iranian government as an existential threat to climate change, fighting does not appear to be at the top of its list of tasks.

He is speaking that the head of the Iranian Environmental Protection Organization (IEPO) was one of the last officials appointed by the president.

The sixth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, Iran faces many environmental challenges.

Ali Mirchi, an assistant professor of water resources engineering at Oklahoma State University, told Al Jazeera: “Due to its chronic location and mismanagement problems, Iran needs to prepare for the effects of climate change on water resources, environmental systems, food security and rural life, among others, compared to many other parts of the world. “

Despite these realities, analysts have said that the Iranian government will stop taking major climate action unless it completely removes the sanctions that have destroyed the country’s economy.

Pure action

Efforts to alleviate Iran praised “critically it is not enough”The Climate Action Tracker indicates non-compliance with the Paris Agreement, an internationally binding treaty aimed at limiting global warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial levels, a goal that COP26 also strives to maintain.

With more than 90 percent of its energy mix made up of fossil fuels, Iran’s transition to clean energy is key to reducing emissions into the atmosphere.

If the planet heats above 1.5C, there will be damage to the environment catastrophic and irreversible, an event confirmed in a shocking report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published in August.

To show that they are taking the IPCC’s warning seriously, and in preparation for COP26, all developed countries submitted ambitious contributions to the Nation-Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are plans around a nation’s commitment to reduce emissions by a certain date, typically around. In 2030, zero zero 2050 to make a scenario viable.

For nations that are developing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), however, it is more difficult to provide NDCs, given the additional cost that mitigation would entail for the economy.

In addition, these countries, including Iran, have said that rich industrialized nations must help finance their energy transition because they are responsible for 80 percent of global emissions.

The last time Iran made promises of mitigation was in 2015, as part of the Contributions of the Nation (INDC), “but the goals are vague and dependent on international aid, including financial assistance and the transfer of clean technologies,” said senior Manal Shehabi. A researcher at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies and director of SHEER Research & Advisory, he told Al Jazeera.

INDCs are voluntary targets and usually become NDCs when the issuing country formally joins the Paris Agreement, a task that Iran has yet to fulfill. Iran is among the few countries that have signed but not ratified the Paris Agreement, which means it has no legal obligation to compromise on global demands.

According to its INDC, Iran expects to reduce emissions by 12 percent compared to the “Business As Usual” model by 2030, the basis defined by the IPCC if countries would not act to reduce emissions at what point would countries act.

Relieving penalties

Eight percent of Iran’s restrictions, however, are conditional on the end of U.S. sanctions and the availability of international resources.

Right now, binding climate commitments would incur additional costs and “the government is reluctant to sign international agreements, which would lead to costs,” said Kaveh Madani, a research professor at New York City College and former deputy head of Iran’s environment department. .

Iran is making a very sensitive deal with world powers over its nuclear program, which could lead to a easing of sanctions against its economy. In return, Tehran is expected to ensure that it will use its nuclear capabilities for energy purposes, not for weapons development.

Nuclear energy has been identified as a major driver of the global transition to clean energy by the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) 2050 zero-zero plan.

After all, “the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy and all countries in the world working with the international community should have this fabulous technology,” said Sama Bilbao y Leon, director general of the World Nuclear Association, Al Jazeera.

“You don’t have bandwidth”

Several neighbors emitting Iran’s greenhouse gases have made great strides in recent efforts to tackle climate change.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey are appearing as dark horses at COP26, presenting zero plans, at least on paper, to show their readiness to reduce energy dependence on fossil fuels. Iran, however, has remained calm despite global pressure to transition to a greener economy.

Tehran’s messages on climate action have remained the same. At COP23 in Bonn (Germany) in 2017, the country said it would ratify the Paris Agreement in cases of full compliance with its nuclear deal with world power and financial aid.

Even if Iran decides to implement the 12 percent emission reductions promised, the cost of that would be about $ 70 billion.

The country is expected to have a budget deficit of $ 10.2 billion this year, according to the Majlis Research Center, according to the Iranian parliamentary inquiry.

Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions have also prevented Iran from acquiring the funds allocated by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which is responsible for helping countries with environmental issues.

“You can’t expect a country with serious socioeconomic and political problems to focus on climate change,” Madani said.

For the Iranian government, the threat of climate change is not so much under the economic pressure it can face at the moment.

“Although they (the Iranian leaders) consider it important, they do not have the will and the bandwidth to deal with it. In the end, he is rich [nations] they have to help pay for that if they want the world to exist, ”Madani said.



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