Statements at the Meeting with Officials and Activists for the Preservation of Natural Resources, Environment, and Urban Green Spaces

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

We welcome the esteemed gentlemen and ladies. Observing this large gathering, thanks be to God, regarding environmental issues brings both joy and concern; joy because, thanks be to God, there are so many vibrant, warm, and interested human resources aware of this great and important responsibility; however, there is also concern about whether this group, which consists of various organizations, has the necessary coordination around a central axis. The importance of environmental issues necessitates that all organizations related to human environmental issues in the country cooperate sincerely with one another. In any case, we ask God Almighty for guidance and assistance for you.

The occasion of our meeting today is that every year during the tree-planting week and the days related to the environment, we symbolically plant one or two trees here; well, it was a sense of duty to draw people's attention to the issue of tree planting; it has not been without effect. Attention has been paid to tree planting—especially in some areas of the country, including Tehran—in recent years; some of the shortages and problems that arose in the past have gradually been somewhat resolved; however, this is not the whole issue. This year, it seemed to us that due to the importance of the issues we are currently grappling with, it is good to hold this meeting and present some points. Furthermore, the follow-up work should not be abandoned, and the officials should pursue a fundamental and serious action in addressing environmental issues, God willing. Of course, I have received a report on the discussions we have had over the past several years—from 1998 to today, fifteen years—about this issue; many words have been said, recommendations have been made, but recommendations alone are not a remedy for major problems. A serious movement and action must follow the work. Of course, good work has also been done in these years that cannot be overlooked.

I will present a few points; first, the Islamic perspective on the earth and the globe and this collection that is the cradle of human life and the place of birth and growth and then the center of human return; the Islamic view of the earth and what is in the earth. In one place, the Quran states: وَ الاَرضَ وَضَعَها لِلاَنام (And the earth We have spread out for creatures); (1) We created the earth—meaning this terrestrial globe—for humans; it belongs to everyone. It does not belong to some; some do not have more rights than others; it does not belong to one generation over another; today it belongs to you; tomorrow it belongs to your children, to your grandchildren, and to your descendants until the end; and this is the case everywhere on the surface of the earth. The creation of the earth belongs to humans; it is theirs. In another verse, it states: خَلَقَ لَکُم ما فِی الاَرضِ جَمیعًا (He created for you all that is in the earth); (3) everything that is in the earth and belongs to the earth has been created for you humans; therefore, since it is your property, it is in your interest, it belongs to you, you must not destroy it. Everything is valuable; there are things that may seem valuable to a superficial observer, and there are things that may seem worthless to him, but all of them are valuable. Once, in this very country, there were people who said, 'What use is this rotten material to us?'—they meant oil. Some may enjoy the greenery of the northern region of the country and dislike the deserts; however, go and sit with Dr. Kordavani (4) and see what he says about the desert. All of them are the same; all of them are blessings, all of them are gifts, and all of them belong to you; you have no right to destroy them; neither gardens nor orchards, nor forests nor pastures nor plains, nor deserts; all of them belong to humans; you must benefit from them.

In another verse, it states: وَ استَعمَرَکُم فیها (And He made you dwell therein); (5) God Almighty, who is the creator of this earth and your creator, has made it your duty to cultivate this earth; that is, to actualize the capacities present in this terrestrial globe. There are many capacities that are unknown, which later become known, and then their importance and value are understood; this work is your responsibility; you must do it. Today, even when we think we are utilizing all the capacities of the earth, the truth is that this is not the case; millions of times more than what you currently use from water, soil, air, underground materials, and surface products can be utilized in ways that we are not aware of today. Humanity must constantly discover new capacities; utilize these capacities for the benefit of human life.

Another verse speaks about الدّالخصام (the most obstinate, wicked, and stubborn enemies), which describes certain characteristics; one of these characteristics is: اِذا تَوَلّی‌ سَعی‌ فِی الاَرضِ لِیُفسِدَ فیها وَ یُهلِکَ الحَرثَ و النَّسل (When he goes away, he strives in the earth to cause corruption therein and destroy crops and offspring); (6) he destroys and corrupts crops—meaning plant production and human production—and annihilates them.

Today, if you look at world politics, you can find those who are actively doing the same to all nations or many nations; causing the destruction of crops and the annihilation of offspring; God Almighty considers this corruption, and then He states: وَ اللَّهُ لا یُحِبُّ الفَساد (And God does not love corruption). (7) Now, these were a few verses that I recited; there are dozens of narrations with excellent content in Islam, in our religious texts about the earth, about our environment; these verses that have just been recited (8) are among these verses that refer to the products of the earth, which all belong to humanity and are yours; the issue of the environment is a very important matter. The summary of the importance of this issue is the responsibility of humans towards nature; they must feel responsible. Just as we feel responsible towards humans, we must also feel responsible towards nature. Islam and divine religions have sought to maintain balance between humans and nature; this is the fundamental and primary goal. The failure to maintain this balance arises from factors, the main one being human selfishness; the desire for power; the bullying and arrogance of some of us humans. When this does not happen—meaning this balance is not maintained—then the environmental crisis arises; the environmental crisis harms all of humanity and all generations.

Today, this crisis is not specific to us—now if the term 'crisis' is correct; at least it is a 'great challenge'—this great challenge is not specific to us today; today this challenge exists all over the world and arises from the same lack of sense of responsibility. You saw in the Kyoto Protocol (9) that America, as a powerful state, stood against it—I mentioned this a few years ago in Friday prayers and said the same thing—(10) meaning a bullying approach to a treaty that is not related to one country or two countries or this corner of the world and that corner of the world; it concerns the entire world. The issue of greenhouse gases is not something that harms one country and a number of people; no, it belongs to all humanity. However, the fundamental problem regarding environmental issues is that the effects of destruction do not appear easily and soon; when they do appear, the remedy for those damages and problems is sometimes long-term and sometimes impossible. For instance, the melting of polar ice—which leads to rising sea levels and many other biological issues that arise from it—is no longer something that can be remedied by humanity; these are things that cannot be compensated for in ten years, twenty years, or a hundred years; they have lasting effects on humanity. That is, when humans arise who do not feel responsible, who want to convert the public wealth of the world into personal wealth, who use every opportunity to enrich themselves, the result is this. The bullying of humanity, the bullying actions of powerful human powers, the powers of wealth and force in the world and on a global scale have such results and effects.

Well, this is the case on a global scale; on a national scale, it is the same; on a national scale, we are currently discussing our own country's issues; the situation is the same; that is, there too, the damages are not easily remedied. For instance, soil erosion in the country due to negligence and poor performance and ignorance; soil erosion is not something that can be easily compensated for later. The issue of soil is more important than the issue of water; we also have a water problem, which is a significant issue, but there are many ways to obtain water; there are no such ways to obtain fertile soil. That is, negligence towards the principles of environmental preservation sometimes creates such problems; the damage that occurs is not something that can be compensated for. Well, it is possible to prevent, it is possible to remedy; both prevention can be done for many of these things—which are mainly preventive—and some can be remedied, and these must be remedied.

Now, for instance, the issue of air pollution. Among the important environmental issues we face today in the country is the issue of air pollution in the large cities; in Tehran and the metropolises of the country; well, it is an important issue, this can be prevented, and it can also be remedied. If we truly put our hearts, voices, and intentions together, we can solve this issue. A certain country has one-fifth of our land area, has twice our population, and has solved the issue of air pollution; therefore, it can be solved. Thus, this work is possible; we can solve it too. The issue of dust—these so-called fine particles—can be solved; these are solvable, of course, patience, perseverance, planning, and follow-up are necessary. The issue of the environment is not the issue of this government or that government; it is a long-term issue; it is not the issue of Zayd and Amr; it is not the issue of this current and that current; it is the issue of the entire country; everyone must join hands and solve this problem.

There are three essential elements in the environment that must be considered: air, water, soil. All efforts must be focused on these. [According to] the statistics that were given to me, in Tehran, seventy percent of the air pollution problem is related to transportation, thirty percent is related to polluting industries—now this is the statistic that was given to me; it may be slightly less or more [than this]; among you are specialists, their information may be more accurate—very well, so [the cause] is identified; when we recognize the cause, we are one step closer to solving the problem; we must seriously address this issue. These are not promotional matters; these are not things that should first be announced; [rather] first, the work must be done. When the work is done, all people will feel it even without a sign.

The issue and problem of the dust phenomenon that yesterday was in Khuzestan, today in Kerman, and may tomorrow cause problems for people's lives in another location must be addressed. The problem of the dust phenomenon is not just about people's breathing; I have been informed that the forests of the western country—the oak forests—are at risk of destruction due to this dust phenomenon; if, God forbid, this problem arises, its damages will be much greater than what we suffer from breathing in Tehran or in another place with polluted air. We must seriously pursue this, we must follow up on the work, we must identify the causes; we must recognize the causes and seriously seek remedies.

One issue is the issue of water and water consumption. A few years ago, I mentioned in my first speech of Farvardin that ninety percent of the country's water is used for agriculture. (11) All other uses—drinking, urban, industrial, etc.—account for ten percent. If we can save ten percent of that ninety percent used for agriculture, it means that the same amount of water we currently use for drinking and urban and rural needs and industry will be available for the country. Is this a small matter? Does this significant matter not deserve that all officials get involved and pursue this issue? With drip irrigation, with proper and good networking [we can save water]. If we collect the water behind the dams, [but] do not create proper networks—as unfortunately is the case in many instances—well, we are actually wasting this water; it evaporates and goes away; in addition to the fact that now problems also arise behind the dams. There are many works that must be done; these are among the very important matters.

The issue of soil. We have stated that soil erosion poses a greater long-term danger than water scarcity. A few years ago, discussions about watershed management and aquifer management were raised, and some work was done; these must be pursued with seriousness and strength; these works must not be halted.

One of our major problems in the country—which I share with you dear brothers and sisters based on my experience—is the lack of follow-up; we start work well [but] there is not always the necessary follow-up; in some cases, yes; wherever we have followed up well, we have achieved very good results; in many places, however, the work stops midway, and there is no follow-up; this is one of the fundamental problems. Each of you has management in various sectors; the managers of the country must pay attention to this issue that follow-up is very important.

One issue is the issue of forests and pastures; these forests and pastures are both the lungs of cities and living environments, and they protect the soil, which we have discussed so much about its importance; these forests must be preserved. Unfortunately, in various parts of the country, these dense and lush forests of the northern country are sometimes subjected to plunder and looting, and sometimes, unfortunately, are neglected and disregarded. I emphasize that do not allow these forests to be encroached upon; various sectors of the country that have responsibilities in this regard, from natural resources to the environment to other agencies related to these matters, must not allow, under various pretexts—from creating amusement parks and attracting tourists to hotel management and so on—our forests to be touched, to be encroached upon; forests have been encroached upon, and it must be firmly prevented.

One issue is the phenomenon of land grabbing. Of course, the phenomenon of land grabbing is not new; it is old; we have repeatedly heard about land grabbers since our youth; well, the expectation has been that in the Islamic system and the Islamic Republic, this phenomenon would cease; we must not allow individuals to come and convert public wealth into personal wealth by encroaching on various lands around cities and in good areas. This vast park that is located in a certain area of the city is a public wealth; [that] individuals come with cunning, by manipulating the law, and perhaps by buying one or two weak-willed individuals in a certain agency, convert this public wealth into their personal wealth is very distressing!

Now, the discussion of land grabbing has gradually turned into mountain grabbing! Sometimes when I go to the heights of northern Tehran and look around, one truly feels very sorry. I have repeatedly raised these issues in meetings with urban officials and government officials. Well, they have also made efforts, but they must confront this decisively. Officials must show firmness against these abusers; they must show capability; do not allow a certain abuser to exploit with specific methods. From above, one can see what they are doing. First, they go and get permission to build a facility at the end of a piece of land; then, when the end of the land belongs to them, the entire surface of the land will naturally become transferable; they do such things. This northern Tehran and western Tehran are, in fact, the respiratory passages of Tehran; the heights of northern Tehran are one way, and the lands of western Tehran are another. In Mashhad—our city—I went and saw that in the southern heights of the city, which are actually the center of the city's breathing, individuals are building houses, hotels, and multi-story buildings up there; this is bad, this is wrong; consider these as crimes. One of the fundamental tasks is 'criminalization' in law; these must be considered crimes in law, and those who do these things must be prosecuted. Simply going and demolishing buildings is not enough; unfortunately, in some cases, they do not do that either, they are negligent.

We must not allow the drinking water source of Tehran to be encroached upon; the source of air and breathing in Tehran to be encroached upon; the sources of life in Tehran—the capital of the country and the center of the Islamic government—to be encroached upon by a few individuals; you must confront these. If, God forbid, there are individuals within the agencies who are negligent, deal with them more severely; these are among the necessary and fundamental tasks. Both natural resources, municipalities, the environment, and supervisory agencies—all of these—must confront this deplorable situation. Ultimately, preserving the environment and observing environmental standards is a governmental duty; of course, the people also have a role; the people can play good roles, cooperate; the condition is that the governmental agencies must seriously pursue the matter. If they show seriousness, the people will also assist them.

[Thus] first, preparing a national document for environmental issues; [and then] the cooperation of the agencies that I first mentioned must work together sincerely; [and then] an environmental attachment for all construction programs. All construction programs, whether urban, rural, industrial, or other plans, must have an environmental attachment; if you want to build a road, it must be clear what its impact on the environment is; if a factory is to be installed, it must be clear what its impact on the environment is; some commercial matters, some transfers and commercial activities; these must have an environmental attachment.

Criminalization of environmental destruction. The judiciary and the relevant agencies, and before them, the laws of the parliament, must focus on this. Of course, we have laws, and there are currently good laws, but a review is necessary; environmental destruction must be considered a crime; it must be prosecuted as a crime. Refining and reviewing existing laws, strengthening uncompromising oversight—oversight must be conducted, and no leniency should be shown in these oversights, and the heads of agencies must personally supervise—and perhaps most importantly, cultural development; cultural development; the people must know how important it is to preserve the environment. This must start from elementary school, in textbooks; our children must understand the importance of pastures, forests, air, water, soil, and sea from childhood and be sensitive to it. Preserving the boundaries of the environment must become part of public culture. Of course, the role of the national media should not be overlooked; the national media must certainly play a role, but the people can also work.

I personally saw a case in one of the summer resorts of Mashhad—Jahargah—an old friend of ours had a small piece of land. There was a small amount of water, about half of what comes out of a teapot spout, up there. They collected this water, directed it, preserved it, and several ponds were created in this land from this water, and the land was cultivated; from a very small amount of water that could have been wasted and no one would notice.

One of our friends recounted and said that in Yazd—which is among the low-water regions of the country—someone invited us to a garden, a park—a place arranged with trees and crops and everything—he said, 'Do you want to see the water source here?' We said yes. He took us a long distance—perhaps several kilometers; now I do not exactly remember the details—there we went, and indeed, there was a small amount of water coming out, about the size of a faucet pipe; this person has made an effort, preserved this water, directed it, and made optimal use of this water. That is, people can make optimal use of the waters of the country in their living environments. 'Tree planting' is among the good works. Of course, trees are planted, but I have heard they are not properly maintained. Tree planting has become common, but once you plant a tree, you must take care of it; now either they should maintain it themselves or the municipal agencies should do it; ultimately, this work must be done.

There are also places around Tehran—now I will mention this here—on the east side of Tehran, there is a large park, a very vast area between Babayi Highway and the heights of Qoochak; there is a piece of land belonging to the army. Sometimes I walk in this area during my morning walks; whenever I go there, my heart trembles! Because I know dozens of greedy eyes are focused on this place. They have also started some work; we stopped it, we raised a warning, we argued; I know they temporarily withdrew, but they are waiting for a moment of negligence; either for me not to be there or for negligence to occur, ultimately to seize this place; truly, it makes one’s heart tremble; a large park of perhaps several hundred hectares—I do not know how much—originally belonged to the army, but now it is not used by the army and is in dispute between the army and the Ministry of Intelligence and so on. In my opinion, this place belongs to the people; it should become a public recreational area. I have repeatedly conveyed this to various officials; the municipality should go and seize this place and put it at the disposal of the people. A very vast, good, pleasant, and tree-filled area in eastern Tehran. I even once saw a herd of deer or mountain goats from a distance; a place like this. [This] should be made available to the people, so they can go and use it. If negligence occurs, that place will also end up like some other places where, unfortunately, negligence has occurred, and one day we see buildings rising there and claims being made; some agencies, unfortunately, out of negligence—not out of malice—have given those lands to their employees, and they sold them to someone else; these are the kinds of things and indiscipline that have unfortunately occurred in the area of lands and in the area of these respiratory regions of large cities and similar issues that have occurred in the past.

In any case, the issue is a very important one; the work is important. We have always spoken about these matters every year. Now I have mentioned these so that they are brought to the attention of the people and the judgment of the people, and based on this, they can grade the agencies. The criterion should be the people; they should grade the agencies, judge the agencies on which agency was able to take these actions regarding the environment and achieve these successes and which agency could not. We hope, God willing, that God will make all of you among those who can work in these areas.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.