TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi has said that sanctions and geopolitical tensions undermine climate cooperation and hinder coordinated action.

“Climate change is no longer just a threat to the future but a current reality whose effects are increasingly being felt every day,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website quoted Araqchi as saying. 

“Rising temperatures, water scarcity, widespread wildfires, destruction of ecosystems, and climate-induced migrations have become the lived reality of millions”, he said while addressing the 17th BRICS Summit Session on “Environment, COP 30 and Global Health, held in Brazil, on Monday.

Underlining the crucial role of BRICS as a symbol of South-South cooperation and the independent voice of nations, Araqchi said, “Today, humanity faces a series of interconnected crises, from the profound impacts of climate change and environmental degradation to increasing threats to global health, and ultimately the unjust structures that hinder the progress of developing countries”.

The official then spoke about Iran’s position in a climate-vulnerable region, saying, “We have implemented domestic programs focused on water resource management, renewable energy development, and restoration of native ecosystems”.

The top Iranian diplomat stressed that an effective climate crisis response requires climate justice, acknowledging the historical responsibility of developed countries for environmental destruction and their vital role in providing financial resources and transferring clean technologies to developing nations.

Meanwhile, Araqchi voiced concern over the failure of industrialized and developed governments to fulfill their commitments, attributing a large share of global environmental challenges such as greenhouse gas accumulation, global warming, and various pollution to actions by developed countries. 

He noted that these countries must not only lead in reducing emissions and combating pollution but also, given their historical responsibility, provide financial resources, technical assistance, and environmentally compatible technologies to compensate for damages inflicted on developing countries.

The foreign minister pointed out that sanctions and geopolitical tensions undermine climate cooperation and hinder coordinated action. 

“Unjust sanctions and unilateral coercive measures imposed by some developed countries on developing nations, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, under political pretexts, pose serious obstacles to these countries’ efforts,” said Araqchi.

He went on to note that this contradicts the global community’s goals for joint action against the harmful effects of climate change and achieving sustainable development goals, especially poverty and hunger eradication.

Araqchi also touched upon the recent acts of aggression by the Zionist regime, followed by US involvement, on Iran’s nuclear facilities, describing these acts as violations of international law, the UN Charter, and the IAEA statute. “It is a worrying situation where two nuclear-armed regimes attack a non-nuclear-armed nation that is a signatory to the NPT whose nuclear activities are under comprehensive IAEA safeguards.

These reckless and aggressive actions entail severe human, environmental, and irreparable ecological damages”.

Iran’s foreign minister further stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran, endowed with vast natural resources, human capacities, and a strategic geopolitical position, insists that decisions must be participatory, equitable, and based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. “Accordingly, we call on BRICS to become the unified voice of the Global South on climate and environmental issues”, Araqchi said.

Climate change impacts

By affecting rainfall patterns, pollination, flowering, and even harvest time, climate change has greatly affected the agriculture sector and food security in many countries, most significantly in Iran, according to the country’s former permanent representative and ambassador to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).

In some parts of the country the air temperature has increased by 2 degrees while the highest temperature set in the world amounts to 1.5 degrees, IRNA quoted Mohammad-Hossein Emadi as saying.

Studies have shown that for a degree increase in temperature on the planet, the amount of evaporation rises by 23 percent which negatively affects agriculture and animal husbandry sectors.

Climate change also alters plant growth patterns, disturbing the nutritional values of crops, he stressed.

In addition, unexpected effects of climate change like drought, flood, and landslides have all affected food security. 

The biggest threat to public health

Climate change is the biggest threat to public health, and is forecast to cause five million additional deaths from 2030 to 2050 globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Some 80 percent of the land area of Iran occurs in arid and semi-arid regions. The country is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, Alireza Raisi, an official with the health ministry, has said.

He made the remarks on the occasion of World Environmental Health Day which is observed on September 26 every year. 

“In the past 50 years, the temperature in Iran has increased, while the annual precipitations have declined. Climate change affects individuals’ health and wellbeing by affecting weather, water, and food. It changes rainfall pattern causes flood, extreme heat, drought, and storms,” Raisi added.

Heat stress is associated with illnesses such as heat exhaustion, diarrhea, heart attack, stroke, lung cancer, as well as cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, climate change significantly intensifies food, water, as well as vector-borne infectious diseases. These changes can threaten the forty-year health achievements of the country, the official further noted.

In fact, climate change and disaster risks are a fundamental threat to sustainable development, the living and health conditions of all humans on the globe, and the reduction of poverty.

World Environmental Day aims to raise awareness about environmental health issues and promote actions to improve and protect the environment for the wellbeing of all living creatures.

This year, it is observed under the theme of ‘Environmental Health: Creating Resilient Communities through Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation’.

Building resilient and sustainable communities means addressing both climate change and disaster risks, and integrating these risks, as well as potential opportunities, into development planning and budgeting.

Besides combatting climate change by reducing the use of fossil fuels and CO2 emission – driving climate change- we must strengthen our initiatives in terms of mitigation and adaption – as climate change is already here – and natural hazards driven by climate change increasingly go into full disasters.

The needed response to avoid disasters is Disaster Risk Reduction initiatives and planning which include climate change mitigation and adaptation and for future policy action to promote successful coordination to create resilient communities.

MT/MG