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Water: Driver of peace and cooperation, or conflict and contention?
Nik Kowsar: In 2021, Iran experienced water-related protests in multiple cities resulting from decades of mismanagement of water resources and misuse of power, exacerbated by adverse effects of climate change. Instead of managing and reducing water consumption in agricultural and industrial sectors, the Iranian government continued policies and projects destroying groundwater and surface water in the name of food security and self-sufficiency. In his New Year remarks, Ayatoll
Water Governance, Environmental Justice, and Sustainability in Iran
The Budding Collaborative Communal, Civil Society, and Academic Water Governance Networks in Iran Shahram Kholdi: The end of the Iran-Iraq war, shortly ensued by the death of the Islamic Republic’s leader and founder, Ayatollah Khomeini, ushered in an era that was dubbed “Sazandegi,” or reconstruction. The new Islamic Republic leader, ex-President Ayatollah Khamenei, who had spent the last years of his presidency largely on the war front ostensibly left the critical matter of
Water Crisis in Urban Iran: Critical Geography Meets Critical Pedagogy
Behrang Foroughi: In Iran, the water crisis is alarming. In the last 10 years, drought and mismanagement of water resources exacerbated by adverse effects of climate have been feeding dissatisfaction with Iranʼs government, sparking deadly protests throughout the country. There is a mounting disillusionment with the national government and its political efficacy to address the water crisis.
There is a significant divide between communities and local government where most
Unstable agriculture does not result in stability
Mansour Sohrabi: Unbalanced agricultural development in Iran has led to wastage of water resources, groundwater depletion, land subsidence, soil erosion, rangelands use change, wetlands drying up, desertification, and rural migration. Continuation of this process will create many problems for Iran’s environment and natural resources. For years, Iran's development plans based on food security were misinterpreted as self-sufficiency in agriculture. Improper agricultural develop
Water resources and environmental justice in developing countries; Iran
Ehsan Danshvar: The words justice, environment, and water resources are individually popular in Iran, but if we combine them to create environmental justice for water resources, do we still get the same attention? Is this combination of everyday words used by researchers and professors in the fields of environment and water resources? The majority of Iran is classified as arid and semiarid climates, and along with other Middle Eastern countries, the most water shortage probl
A case study of Iran’s water governance system
Information exchange and distribution of stakeholder’s influence in national water governance policy networks Behshad Mohajer: The exchange of information and resources implements water policies through a network of actors and institutional rules. Due to the rapid change in physical systems, such as hydrological system processes or socio-economic and political settings, the structures and distribution of authority may also deviate from an ideal state. Characterization of this
On Climate Justice
Shooka Bidarian: The world is beset by problems: extreme poverty, conflict, pandemics, environmental destruction, and of course climate change. We are now observing these pre-existing conditions of inequality are being exacerbated by the impacts of climate change, particularly on marginalized communities. We have seen this pattern recurring in all parts of the world. The countries that have contributed very little to the climate crisis, primarily those in the developing worl
The story of the sinking capitals
Nik Kowsar: Old Persia was once the land of hydrogeologists who were able to drain a limited amount of groundwater without depleting the aquifers. Many consider the Persian civilization, the Kariz Civilization. Qanator Kariz is a system for transferring water from an aquifer to the surface through a gently sloped tunnel. Qanat is known to be one of the most sustainable means of transporting water in arid zones, as it limits evaporation. After World War II and the commencement
Environmental justice: The overlooked prerequisite for transition to a sustainable/democratic future
Kaveh Madani: The growing environmental crises around the world have highlighted more than ever the vital role of the environment and natural resources in the development process. Nevertheless, environmental issues do not yet have a serious role in political movements and campaigns. Exhausting the natural resources and environmental destruction of a country is irreversible and leads to unemployment, forced migration, human rights violations and injustices, escalated tensions,