TEHRAN –Environmental protection is a public duty. Tackling environmental problems requires the participation of the government, the private sector, as well as people.

Within the last decades, environmental problems have greatly affected nature and people’s lives. Air pollution, as a man-made problem originating from economic and industrial factors, accounts for millions of deaths every year.

Human activities with wide-ranging social effects have changed the environment adversely; by disturbing the balance in nature, some issues like pollution have become extremely critical.

The Department of Environment by developing environment houses aims to deal with the country's environmental challenges and needs through improving the process of scientific and knowledge-based research.

It also seeks to improve the individual, organizational, and managerial capacities of innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, students, and academic faculty members of universities.

In industrial and densely populated cities, while identifying technological methods and providing local constructive solutions for maintaining the balance of ecosystems and preventing pollution and environmental destruction, the environment houses will help to reduce air pollution in the country.

On the occasion of Clean Air Week, by implementing clean air promotion and educational programs, the environment houses encourage people to get familiar with their social responsibility. In this regard, two environment houses will be opened in Alborz and Yazd provinces.

Considering the population of millions of students in the country and their teachers and families, environmental campaigns are planned to encourage people to reduce the use of personal cars use more public transit, and use energy more efficiently at home and school.

Clean Air Week

Running from January 16 to 22, the National Clean Air Week is being observed this year under the theme of 'Clean Air, Responsible Official, Responsible Citizen’.

Every year, January 19, is the National Clean Air Day in Iran in order to remind and highlight the main factors in maintaining air quality, as well as promoting a sense of responsibility and citizen participation in protecting the urban environment and fulfilling social responsibility for the environment.

This year's theme highlights the significance of raising people’s awareness about the effects of air pollution, providing necessary information and health recommendations when confronting unhealthy conditions caused by air pollution, and attracting people’s contribution.

Clean Air Law

Air pollution is one of the main concerns of the government; Therefore, all organizations are obliged to act based on the Clean Air Law.

The Clean Air Law, enacted in July 2017, was supposed to be a solution to ease air pollution across the country. Still, now, the air is severely polluted, as the responsible bodies neglect their legal duties to implement the law.

The law has defined responsibilities for the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Oil, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Transport and Urban Development, the Ministry of Industry, Mining, and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Environment, the police, the municipality, the National TV, and some other organizations.

In this regard, according to the three-year plan of the Ministry of Oil, which was presented to the Department of Environment, the amount of sulfur in diesel fuel is supposed to be reduced to a great extent, in order to meet the national standard.