TEHRAN –While the main focus of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP29, is to develop funds to help nations reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, illegal US sanctions have denied Iran’s access to the needed technologies and financial resources.

The 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024. 

A key focus of COP29 will be on finance, as trillions of dollars are required for countries to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect lives and livelihoods from the worsening impacts of climate change.

The main goals of the convention include stabilizing the greenhouse gas concentration in the earth’s atmosphere, submitting periodic reports on the national climate change situation, and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as implementing programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Among the key priorities of COP 29 are securing a new goal on climate finance, ensuring every country has the means to take much stronger climate action, slashing greenhouse gas emissions, and building resilient communities. 

The fact is that some countries have played the greatest role in the destruction of the environment, and they have the most facilities to prevent the resulting crisis. 

However, there are countries that have done the least to contribute to environmental destruction. By imposing unfair sanctions, the first group has deprived the second of their rights to access needed resources to tackle these problems.

Iran is one of the countries that has been greatly affected by climate change. However, coercive measures have deprived the country of its rights in many sectors including the environment. 

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change requires substantial funding to update technologies and make sure industries are efficient enough to emit less pollution into the atmosphere.

Iran’s participation in COP29 is of great importance. Attending the conference will serve as an opportunity to hold international negotiations to defend the rights and interests of the country and call for ending cruel sanctions.

It should be noted that environmental issues are cross-border; when dust rises from a country like Iraq, Iran, and other neighboring countries are also affected. In such a situation, sanctions and restrictions are meaningless.

Developed countries committed to contribute 100 billion dollars by 2025, that is, by the next year, for developing countries to adapt to climate change and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Considering the unfair financial sanctions of the United States against Iran, benefiting from the funds should be one of the main focuses of the Iranian delegation’s negotiations. 

Therefore, consultations in various sectors, particularly economic aspects, are of significance.

Hence, Iran will use the opportunity of COP 29 to raise the issue of the unfair sanctions imposed on the country to pave the way to utilize international environmental funds.

Despite all the unfair restrictions and sanctions, Iran has so far taken appropriate national measures to implement the provisions of the Climate Change Convention. 

These measures include drafting a low-carbon economy document, a national climate change strategy plan, adding the issue of climate change to the seventh national development plan (2023-2027), and establishing the national climate change working group.

One of the important issues for the country in the climate change negotiations is emphasizing the country’s vulnerability to climate change impacts, dealing with the issue of sand and dust storms originating from cross-border hotspots, and oppressive sanctions that prevent the import of technology and technical assistance required for implementing the provisions of the convention.

Considering the importance of dealing with climate change and the use of international facilities, and world-class technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Iran intends to attract suitable resources to implement plans focusing on lowering carbon dioxide production by calling on international communities to refrain from implementing unilateral unfair sanctions.

The Iranian delegation will be headed by President Masoud Pezeshkian.

President Pezeshkian’s participation in COP29 can foster greater synergy in managing external dust sources in neighboring countries and removing barriers to joining the Paris Agreement.

Climate change is an important and serious issue, but it has not been taken seriously. A large number of current problems in the country are caused by the instability of water sources and global warming.

In this situation, the presence of the president can have a positive effect on the conference.

The president’s attendance will be a credit to Iran’s presence at the conference. It will also bolster the credibility of the country’s efforts in addressing the challenges and significantly provide an opportunity for negotiating on environmental issues.

7th development plan on environmental issues

In the seventh development plan, whose general policies were announced on September 2022 and the text of the bill was sent to the Iranian parliament (Majlis) for approval on May 2023, the “environmental issues” are mostly cited under the heading of "infrastructural affairs".

The importance of Iran's environment and protection is not taken considerably into account in the implementation of the 7th development plan of I.R. Iran, and we believe that various parts of Iran's life territorial stability, and national security will be exposed to more threats and gradual destruction. 

Drought, population increase, air pollution, climate change, industrial and agricultural production, sanctions, inefficient use of water and natural resources, and non-implementation of existing environmental regulations fuel the existing environmental crisis.

COP 29

UN Climate Change Conferences (or COPs) take place every year, and are the world’s only multilateral decision-making forum on climate change that brings together almost every country on Earth.  

To put it simply, the COP is where the world comes together to agree on the actions to address the climate crisis, such as limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, helping vulnerable communities adapt to the effects of climate change, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. 

COP 29 will bring together world leaders and negotiators from the member states (or Parties) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to further global progress, with business leaders, young people, climate scientists, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society sharing insights and best practices to strengthen global, collective and inclusive climate action. 

Also in focus will be the next round of national climate plans, or NDCs, currently being developed by countries ahead of next year’s deadline and ensuring these bolder, fully implementable, and investable strategies and targets are economy-wide, focus on transitioning away from fossil fuels, and keep the world on track to 1.5 degrees of warming. 

MT/MG