TEHRAN – The national budget bill for the next calendar year (starting on March 21, 2022) has proposed 21 trillion rials (around $78 million) for the Department of Environment, a nearly 75 percent increase compared to the current year’s budget of 12 trillion rials (nearly $43 million).

The DOE’s budget will be spent on air pollution management, sustainable conservation, and exploitation of aquatic ecosystems, conservation, restoration and refinement of onshore biodiversity, conservation of protected areas, protection of rangers, wildfire prevention, and promotion of public participation and awareness in environmental protection.

The national budget bill for the next calendar year (starting on March 21, 2022) proposed 21 trillion rials (around $78 million) for the Department of Environment. President Ebrahim Raisi submitted the administration’s draft of the national budget bill for the next Iranian calendar year 1401, to the Majlis on December 12. The proposed budget amounted to about 36.31 quadrillion rials (about $123 billion).

Supplying basic goods, treatment, and medical equipment; securing livelihood; supporting production and employment; promoting and supporting non-oil exports and knowledge-based companies are the focal points of the bill.

In June, a national document on promoting environmental protection culture was unveiled, defining seven strategies and fifty-four actions aimed at increasing cross-sectoral and inter-institutional partnerships. It addresses issues such as the environment, environmental protection, culture of environmental protection, environmental education, and social responsibility, life resources, pollutants, clean energy, green economy, environmental literacy, sustainable development, green jobs, and green management.

The main purpose of the document is to protect the country's environment and preserve its natural resources by promoting the culture of environmental protection in society.

It is prepared to implement Article 50 of the Constitution, which focuses on issues such as the establishment of an integrated national environmental system, coordinated and systematic management of natural resources, criminalization of environmental degradation, preparation of ecological atlas, strengthening environmental diplomacy, expanding green economy, promoting environmental culture and ethics.

FB/MG