TEHRAN – The first international conference on air pollution management is being held on February 15 and 16 in Tehran.

Organized by Metrological Organization, the conference is centered around the six main topics of using modern technologies to reduce emissions in industry and transportation sectors; developing clean energy and reducing dependence on fossil fuels; promoting urban development innovation in air pollution management; decarbonizing energy-intensive industries; adopting policies and regulations to improve pollution control; and outlining public health, climate and social impacts of air pollution.

The main objective of the conference is to develop a scientific and executive framework to assess the state of air pollution in the country and to evaluate operational strategies to reduce air pollution.

In January, Shina Ansari, the head of the Department of Environment (DOE), said that the aging transportation fleet is a major source of air pollution in the country, so renewing the transportation system is the best way to deal with the problem.

Air pollution is one of the major environmental challenges in the country, particularly in metropolitan cities such as Tehran and Mashhad, with numerous adverse impacts on people’s health and the economy of society, IRNA quoted Ansari as saying.

The official made the remarks on the occasion of the National Clean Air Week, held from January 18 to 22, with the theme of ‘transportation renewal, a fresh breath for a city’.

Highlighting the role of DOE as the main responsible organization to implement the clean air law, Ansari said modernizing the transportation fleet, expanding public transportation, improving supervision over vehicle technical inspections, and increasing supervision over automobile manufacturing are among the most important strategies to reduce pollutant emissions from mobile sources.

She went on to say that each worn-out car emits nine times more pollutants than a modern car, while consuming twice as much fuel.

Over the past years, the clean air law and the scrapping of old cars have not been effectively implemented. However, in the Iranian year 1403 (March 2024 – March 2025), a total of 350,000 old vehicles were scrapped. Since 1403, about 530,000 vehicles have been dismantled in the country, she further noted.

The official called on all responsible bodies to make transportation renewal their top priority.

In December 2025, the deputy health minister, Alireza Raeisi, urged the implementation of the clean air law as air pollution accounts for 57,000 deaths in the country annually.

The clean air law has clarified the duties of each government body, but there are still problems in law enforcement. Public health should be prioritized in macro-decisions, and funds generated from environmental crimes should be spent on reducing pollutants and compensating for health damages, the health ministry’s website quoted Raeisi as saying.

Numerous scientific studies on particles show that exposure to the particles causes many health problems, including premature death in patients with heart and lung diseases, non-fatal heart attacks, irregular heartbeats, lung cancer, exacerbation of asthma, decreased lung function, increased respiratory symptoms, reduction in fertility rates, and ultimately leads to a decrease in life expectancy.

Air pollution also accounts for 2,029 and 661 deaths in Isfahan and Arak, respectively. The costs of air pollution on the health system in Isfahan amount to 796 million dollars, and 2.564 million dollars in Arak.

Approving effective environmental protection regulations, enforcing strict laws, and utilizing renewable energies are essential to curb air pollution.

MT/MG