Environment

iranintl – Human-induced climate change including war and urbanization has played a major role in exacerbating a three-year drought in Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Citing the findings of scientists from Iran, the UK, the US, and the Netherlands, World Weather Attribution reported that the drought spanning 36 months from July 2020 to June 2023, was “the second worst in the observed record.” …

Iranwire – The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as  secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake …

Iranwire – For over a decade, residents of the Iranian plateau, an arid and semi-arid region, have faced alarming developments concerning their most precious natural resource: water.  The dry region has been grappling with a myriad of water-related issues, including shortages, groundwater depletion, land subsidence, and the desiccation of vital lakes and marshes, such as Urmia, Hamoon, Bakhtegan, and Arjan. …

Iranwire – A fire that has been raging in the Iraqi part of the Hor al-Azim marshes since the afternoon of October 23 is emitting thick smoke that is polluting the air in Iranian cities of Hoveyzeh, Daasht Azadegan and Ahvaz. Farhad Gholinejad, deputy director of environmental protection for Khuzestan province, told ISNA news agency that the air quality in …

Iranwire – More than 2,200 people sought medical help for respiratory, cardiac and ocular issues caused by a dust storm in the north of the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan. According to a September 24 statement from the Crisis Management Office of Sistan and Baluchistan Governorate, as many as 2,278 individuals sought medical assistance in hospitals and other healthcare …

Iranwire – Iranian security forces have reportedly detained at least 35 members of the Sabzchia Association, an environmental protection group in Kurdistan province. The environmentalists were apprehended on September 10 as they were attending the nongovernmental organization’s annual meeting in the western city of Marivan, according to the France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN). Those detained were transferred to the …

RFL/RE – Countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia must work together to combat sand and dust storms made increasingly severe by climate change, the United Nations and Iran said on September 9. “Cooperation is key. I urge you to use your time in Tehran to build partnerships, increase cooperation and commit to practical action,” UN chief Antonio Guterres …

Iranwire – Approximately 228,000 hectares of forests and rangelands have burned down in Iran between 2011 and 2021, an average of almost 21,000 hectares every year, according to Iran Open Data. Analysis of official data shows that fires destroyed a total of 103,000 hectares of forests and 125,000 hectares of rangelands during these 11 years, the collaborative initiative said in …

Iranwire – Heavy rainfall in Ahar city of East Azerbaijan province has caused flooding and leading to extensive damage to the homes of the citizens. Roads have also been submerged under the deluge. Videos obtained from IranWire show cars and trucks overwhelmed by floodwaters. 🎥 بر اساس ویدیوی رسیده به ایران وایر سیل تابستانه در اهر خسارات زیادی به خودروها …

Iranwire – Dozens of mostly women staged two rallies in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz in recent days to protest the shrinking of Lake Urmia, one of the world’s largest salt lakes.  The first protests took place in front of the Natural Resources Department in Tabriz on August 12, and the second was held two days later outside the …