City council in pursuit of #Tehran_without_plastic

TEHRAN – Tehran’s city council has launched #Tehran_without_plastic campaign in a bid to fight detrimental effects of plastics on the environment, ISNA reported on Wednesday.

‘Downgrading, downsizing protected areas encourage communities to safeguard environment’

TEHRAN — Downgrading and downsizing protected areas would in fact encourage local communities to conserve the environment more effectively, Department of Environment's (DOE) deputy director for hunting and fishing Ali Teymouri has said.

By Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

Some tips for green trips

For many, holidays equals traveling. Individuals may prefer to travel to near or far destinations to gain experience, have fun and create some lasting moments in their lives.

Insurance compensates for damages done by leopards

TEHRAN – The damages caused by leopards to 59 individuals bearing losses in 11 provinces have been compensated through insurance, said Ali Teymouri, the Department of Environment’s deputy director for hunting and fishing, Mehr reported.

By Maryam Qarehgozlou

Deteriorating environment is waiting for the right decisions

TEHRAN — Did you know if you’re 41 or younger you’ve never experienced a normal climate, not even once? This was shared on Years of Living Dangerously, an American documentary television series focusing on global warming, Instagram page on March 6.

Smugglers selling aquatic species face punishment: official

TEHRAN — Animal smugglers who sell aquatic species including emys, water snakes and Lorestan mountain newt will face punishment, chief of Tehran Department of Environment said on Wednesday.

Iran to provide insurance for its brown bears

TEHRAN – Initial agreements have been reached with some Iranian insurance companies to cover the possible damages imposed by brown bears to locals, said Peiman Valizadeh, the executive secretary of the national committee for preserving brown bear affiliated to the Department of Environment.

Cultivating sugar beet and rice hinders wetlands restoration programs

TEHRAN – Cultivating water intensive products including sugar beet and rice has been banned in some regions as they were not in line with plans for reviving wetlands, an official with wetland ecosystems division at Department of Environment has said.

Iranian judge punishes minor crimes with tree planting not jail

TEHRAN – Mohammad Reza Amuzad is a judge in Galikesh, northern Golestan province, who punishes minor crimes with alternative sentences such as planting trees in the province.

Countries cannot overcome environmental challenges independently: Zarif

TEHRAN — Environmental issues are global challenges and no single country can manage to overcome them independently, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday.

By Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

Faced with e-waste

Fortunately for us, we are living in a world where the speed of emerging new technologies and electronic devices increasingly eases many of our daily tasks. These amazing rapid changes encourage or even sometimes force users to buy new devices. And what happens to the old ones? Either they are temporarily stocked at storehouses or thrown away among other waste materials. This is where we are introducing another threat to our environment: e-waste.

Green startup weekend holds second pre-event workshop

TEHRAN – The second pre-event workshop of the ‘environment and urban management’ startup weekend was held on Sunday in Tehran’s Amirkabir University of Technology.

We have made mistakes in protecting the environment: Kaveh Madani

TEHRAN — The nature is a proof of the fact that we have made mistakes in protecting the environment and we have to put them right, Kaveh Madani, deputy environment chief for international affairs, innovation and socio-cultural engagement said on Monday.

$2b of foreign finance to help fight air pollution

TEHRAN – Majlis (the Iranian parliament) approved $2 billion in foreign finance for developing subways and tackling air pollution in line with the budget bill for the next Iranian fiscal year (starting on March 21).

By Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

And now comes the acid rain

Rain is a sign of hope and life, especially in low precipitation regions like Iran, but in some instances it can be harmful both for humans and the environment. I’m not talking about floods, rather about the sneaking effects of air pollution on rain which have added another item to the long list of environmental threats: acid rain.

The need to clarify speculations about death of environmentalist

TEHRAN — Following the death of Kavous Seyed Emami, an environmentalist, in prison on February 10, the hashtag #freeIranianConservationist has gone viral in social media in Iran.

By Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

Possible environmental damages of tilapia farming

The environmentalists’ concerns for tilapia farming is nothing new as the topic is being debated over the past few decades across the globe. However, the recent controversial decisions made regarding farming and importing tilapia in and to Iran has turned it into hot topic in Iran’s environmental circles.

Environment being sacrificed for auto industry: Kalantari

TEHRAN — “Using job creation and domestic production as excuses no one can stop home grown, substandard car manufacturing in Iran and we are giving up citizens’ health and the environment for that,” Iran’s environment chief said.

By Maryam Qarehgozlou

Air pollution from a different viewpoint: ‘Cars need clean air’

Air pollution is a knotty problem of the metropolises of Iran. Currently seeing the azure sky is a dream that seldom comes true.

Iran’s environmental body asserts its right to green tax

TEHRAN — Once again Iran’s environmental body has demanded its right to the green tax imposed on polluting industries and allocated to municipalities.

Iran’s environmental body takes unprecedented step in fight against plastic pollution

TEHRAN — In a bid for public engagement Iran’s Department of Environment (DOE) has banned bottled water at the DOE offices and all other organizations affiliated with it nationwide.

Tehran’s population doesn’t fit its area: environment official

TEHRAN – The population density (a measurement of population per unit area) of Tehran is near 10,000 people per square kilometer which is considered high and inevitably raises environmental issues, said chief of Tehran’s department of environment.