Under the shadow of the mullahs’ regime in Iran, a looming ‘danger of the destruction of civilization’ has become apparent in every sense. The intensity of this situation has escalated to the point where even the regime’s state-run media cannot remain silent. An article in Etemad newspaper openly acknowledges a fraction of this peril.
The core issues emphasized in this essay encompass the speculative sale of natural resources, unbridled dam construction wreaking havoc on the environment, rampant deforestation, and cultural degradation. The author of the article contends that these catastrophes dwarf the ‘danger facing civilization.’
This isn’t the first warning of its kind. The Academy of Sciences, in a statement directed at the regime’s parliament, identified several factors contributing to the ‘decline of Iranian civilization.’ These factors include ‘climate change, drought, dust, subsidence, water crisis, waste, and air pollution.’ They urged the government to prioritize these concerns in the Seventh Development program, citing concerns about ‘diminishing territorial resilience’ and ‘the risk of destabilizing national security.’
Some of the issues raised in this statement underscore the gravity of the crisis and the peril to Iranian civilization.
Rising Greenhouse Gas Emissions
According to the Academy of Sciences, “According to 2019 statistics, Iran leads the Middle East and ranks eighth globally in greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide. This is primarily attributed to outdated industrial practices, low productivity, inefficient production and consumption of hydrocarbon products, and insufficient development of clean, renewable energies in Iran.”
Deforestation
The statement notes, “Over the last six decades, Iran has lost millions of hectares of forested land. If this trend persists, Iran’s forests will disappear entirely within 75 years.”
Soil Erosion and Groundwater Crisis
According to the data presented in the statement, while Iran possesses 50 million hectares of arable land, only “less than two-fifths (18 million hectares) are utilized for agriculture, with water scarcity rendering the remainder unusable.” Consequently, “Iran’s erosion rate exceeds the global average by eight times, marking one of the world’s highest and most alarming figures.”
Land Subsidence Crisis
Land subsidence poses a significant crisis, with an estimated 66% of Iran’s plains (approximately 12 million hectares) experiencing subsidence, primarily due to excessive extraction of groundwater.
Miankaleh Petrochemical and the Risk of Caspian Pollution
The Miankaleh Petrochemical project, driven by profit motives, is a key contributor to pollution in the Caspian Sea. The main source of Caspian pollution is the Volga River, inundated with industrial and urban waste. About 130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, carrying pollutants, exacerbated by sand extraction and domestic, urban, and industrial sewage. The establishment of petrochemicals in the Miankaleh protected area in the Caspian Sea’s southeast is a grave concern in Iran.
Unreasonable Dam Constructions
Indiscriminate dam construction in Iran stands out as a primary cause of wetland and river desiccation across the country. Currently, wetlands like Urmia, Bakhtegan, Gavkhuni, and Parshan are in dire straits, primarily due to the neglect of their rights.
Conclusion
However, what the state media and the regime’s Academy of Sciences address does not encompass the entirety of this disaster, as it fails to delve into the culpability of the regime’s officials and individuals.
The sale of raw materials, deforestation, uncontrolled dam construction, ecosystem transformations, land subsidence crises, escalating greenhouse gas emissions, waste generation, air pollution caused by wetland desiccation, cultural degradation, brain drain, housing shortages, and, in a word, the impending peril to Iranian civilization all result from a governance that exposes Iran’s future generations to insatiable greed. To unveil all the factors eroding Iran’s civilization, one must trace it back to the regime’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and the Revolutionary Guards.
