TEHRAN – President Ebrahim Raisi has highlighted the importance of environmental protection, emphasizing that the preservation of the environment is prior to every development.

In a meeting with professors and environmental activists on Friday, Raisi called on all parts of the country to pay attention to environmental protection, IRIB reported.

Undoubtedly, humans must be sensitive to any encroachment to the environment, he said, calling on related organizations to consider the environment in all aspects of development.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the President called the destruction of forests and wetlands harmful to the environment and said that “the destruction of nature causes great and irreparable damage to the people and the country.”

Environmental protection will lead to power, security, investment, and production growth in the country, and the universities should be connected with the responsible bodies to achieve appropriate programs.

The national media and the press have an important role in this regard because we will seek education, public participation to protect the environment, and the implementation of projects, he stated.

The environmental policies declared by Leader Ayatollah Khamenei must be implemented, and we hope to see an increase in the implementation of these policies from 47 percent to above 90 percent next year (March 2022), he further noted.

Both the people and the NGOs have an effective role to play in the protection of the environment, and they should be given chance to play their role, he added.

The need to use new technologies and the ability of knowledge-based companies in the field of environment, solving issues and problems related to legal proceedings, attention to domestic and international diplomacy in the field of environment, attention to water transfer in the country from one region to another, attention to the dangers of trawling, attention to environmental water rights and also attention to land management were among the topics that were discussed in this specialized meeting.

On the occasion of National Tree Planting Day, March 5, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned against “the great blight” to the ongoing process of environmental degradation, urging both people and officials to resist natural resource destruction.

Environmental destruction will endanger the “future of human beings,” the Leader said.

He emphasized the need to prevent incidents such as forest fires, noting that those in charge who are not committed to their duties should be held accountable. 

Environmental activities are of a “religious and revolutionary nature” and should not be regarded as luxurious or ornamental, the Leader stressed.

FB/MG