TEHRAN Being transboundary, lots of complex ecological obstacles can be attended to through ecological diplomacy, which suggests settlements amongst two or more countries.Environmental diplomacy is used internationally to settle issues such as conflicts over sources of energy, water, and climate change, IRNA reported.The fact that all the nations share the exact same environment necessitates fostering environmental diplomacy to settle disagreements over water resources, ecological contamination, and climate modification impacts.Environmental diplomacy is an efficient and required tool to reduce and remove the extreme effects by reasonable circulation of obligations among involved countries as they present their nationwide interests and solutions.Sand and dust storms (DSDs) are a case in point of metrological risks in West Asia, where lots of nations are included as some generate them and some others are impacted by them.SDSs struck nations such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Iran, and in some cases parts of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and even Afghanistan, and Pakistan.These dust particles have devastating effect on breathing health and environments; they result in the closure of airports, schools, and workplaces, affect electrical power transmission infrastructures, and bring about economic losses.Removing pollution from Aras River, and protecting Hirmand River water right, as well as some wetlands are other examples where ecological policies have been utilized to deal with the conflicts.Tehran convention is a big achievement whereby the Caspian Sea littoral states protect the Caspian environment from all sources of pollution however also targets the preservation, repair, and protection of the Caspian Sea species and habitats.Therefore, to alleviate climate modification effects, and attain sustainable advancement goals, environmental policy is required to be reinforced to help Iran along with its nearby countries take advantage of offered resources and protect our rights at the worldwide level.Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with other executive bodies such as the ministries of Energy, Industry, Mine, Trade, and Agriculture in addition to the Department of Environment can establish a center to concentrate on particular missions and act on conversations and objectives in line with nationwide interests and improve the living conditions of citizens through ecological diplomacy.Iran prioritizes ecological policyAccording to the previous head of the Department of Environment (DOE), Ali Salajeqeh, ecological diplomacy is the main top priority for the nations political diplomacy.One of the steps taken by the Iranian government towards the advancement of environmental diplomacy was the holding of a regional top on combating sand and dust storms in 2022.
The meeting was participated in by ministers and representatives of local nations and 6 international companies, and its last declaration was approved as the Tehran Declaration.Considering the boost in the incident of sand and dust storms in the region and the environmental declaration on reinforcing environmental diplomacy, the current administration intends to back regional and global interactions to take on not only SDSs but also water diplomacy and transboundary waters as other important issues.Exchanging regional and worldwide experiences in the field of environment, laying the ground for facilitating interactions and benefiting from international experiences and modern-day knowledge, and getting involved at various levels of environment-related settlements in order to draw in resources, enhance abilities and protected national interests are parts of environmental policies of the existing administration.MT/ MG