TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday emphasized the need to develop non-fossil sources of energy, including renewables, and expand activities to protect the environment.

The destruction of forests and the environment and vegetation is equivalent to the degradation of national interests, and the depletion of part of the forests for construction, except in emergencies, is definitely to the detriment of the nation, he explained.

He made the remarks on the occasion of National Tree Planting Day, which is annually celebrated on the fifteenth day of Esfand, the last month on the Iranian calendar. The day also marks the beginning of the National Week of Natural Resources.

“One of the serious tasks toward protecting the environment is to preserve the two natural assets and vital reserves, namely water and soil, and to avoid taking them for granted. In this line, authorities must pay attention to expert points of view.”

Inattention to "wildlife protection" is another issue that will be detrimental to national interests, the Leader said, noting that in Islam, hunting is allowed only if it (human) needs to be fed, otherwise, it is illegal, and even hunting trips are forbidden, so we must take steps to prevent illegal hunting seriously and pay attention to the issue of wildlife conservation.

Emphasizing the need to develop clean energy, he said that “the development of non-fossil energies, such as nuclear energy, which is increasingly used in the world and the countries of the region are moving towards it, as well as wind and solar energies, should also be taken seriously.”

The Leader further called on people to plant and protect trees, saying that doing such important works requires national support. Tree planting is among the activities that can prevent the disappearance of forests around and inside cities through expanding vegetation cover.
To mark the occasion, Ayatollah Khamenei planted two fruit tree saplings.

FB/MG