TEHRAN – Today, the environment has reached a fragile stage in various terms of water, soil, and air. So, environmental protection should be taken seriously. This requires environmental literacy.

Iran is one of the progressive countries in the field of environmental protection because it is one of the first countries that consider environmental protection as a public duty in the constitution, in fact, the 50th principle of the constitution is proof of the claim that today's generation and future generations must have a growing social life in the country, it is considered a public duty, hence economic and other activities that cause environmental pollution or destruction are forbidden.

The Department of Environment’s new approach is to boost people's participation in environmental protection.

Nourollah Moradi, the deputy of education and public participation of the DOE, told IRNA that today, environmental literacy is recognized as one of the important tools and basic requirements of environmental management.

Environmental literacy has a fundamental but subtle difference from environmental education, while environmental education is process-based, environmental objectives are based on output, and environmental literacy is understanding the relationships between natural systems and human social systems, he explained.

Iran has been ranked 133 based on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) index in 2022.

In various definitions, four components of knowledge, skill, desire, and behavior have been listed for environmental literacy, he stated.

The processes that are the basis of environmental awareness are divided into different degrees, which include broad knowledge and understanding of environmental concepts, issues, and cases, a set of cognitive and sensory tendencies, and a set of cognitive skills and abilities.

In this way, environmental literacy includes practices, activities, and feelings that are rooted in familiarity with the environment and detailed knowledge of it, as for literate people, the ability to read and write affects their identity, citizens with environmental literacy also internalize the ability to interpret and act in favor of the environment.

On this basis, environmental literacy has entered production through the path of research and new environmental technologies, which leads to employment and sustainable use of resources by increasing productivity (production with less resource consumption and creating less waste), he stated.

Iran's environmental approach

"Improving environmental performance indicators by at least five steps per year" was approved by the Expediency Council a month ago.

Iran has been ranked 133 based on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) index in 2022, he noted that to upgrade at least five steps from the annual ranking based on the latest ranking of 2022 means to climb five places annually from the 133rd rank in 2022, which is not scientifically meaningful.

Based on this index, countries are ranked in 11 issues of air quality, water resources management, water and wastewater, heavy metals, climate change management, habitats and biodiversity, ecosystem services, fishing, agriculture, acid rain, and waste management.

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), has praised Iran’s approach toward environmental protection.

Endangered environment

Iran has a high diversity of species due to geographical conditions, climatic diversity, huge water resources of the Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian Gulf, and the Sea of Oman in the south.

Environmental measures and protection of natural resources, waste management, and other measures show Iran's environmental approach, she further noted.

According to the latest studies, about 1,300 species of vertebrates, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and aquatic fish, about 30,000 species of invertebrates, and 8,000 species of plants have been identified in the country.

Unfortunately, over the past two decades, human activities have led to the alarming degradation of ecosystems, and the deletion of genes, species, and biological capabilities; Human threats to biodiversity have accelerated the most over the past 50 years over the entire history of human life.

Out of 1,300 species of animals in the country, 130 of which are endangered and threatened, Hassan Akbari, deputy head of natural environment and biodiversity of the Department of Environment, said in December 2021.

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