Much has been said about the Iran regime’s destruction of human rights and democracy, and about the effects of the regime’s malign policies and terrorism.
It has managed to destroy the country’s economy and it has destroyed all hopes of peace in the region because it keeps meddling in the internal affairs of other countries.
However, relatively little has been said about the Iranian regime’s destruction of the environment that is causing crisis after crisis. In the past few years, Iran has seen some very serious flooding that has affected huge numbers of Iranians across the country. Rather than being considered a natural disaster that man has no control over, it should be considered a direct consequence of the regime’s destructive policies.
#Iran Regime’s Long Record of Destruction of the Environment https://t.co/vxC0GucLR1#No2Rouhani #FreeIran
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 25, 2019
Floodgates have been eliminated and the regime has cut down pastures and forests. The regime has also neglected to clean up and dredge rivers for far too long.
One of the biggest contributing factors to the flooding that is affecting large parts of the country is the regime’s destruction of forests. Not only is it causing flooding, but it is also causing desertification, soil erosion, water shortage, and dust storms. These may start off manageable, but they are becoming increasingly serious as time goes on.
But why is the regime doing this? Well, simply put, the regime is doing it for its own gain. To fund terrorist activities and militias and proxy groups. Also, to further its own malign policies. Cutting down forests to give way to cleared land for building factories fills the regime’s pockets. Building luxury residences and selling wood and trees also fills the regime’s pockets.
It is believed that around 45,000 acres of forest have been lost in just four decades. The regime itself has not had a problem admitting that many forests have disappeared and the remaining are in danger.
The situation has been highlighted by several organizations, including the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization that has said Iran is losing forests faster than most other countries in the world.
Deforestation caused dreadful flooding in March last year in the province of Golestan. The heavy rainfall was hitting bare land and all-natural barriers had been removed. Trees act as a natural barrier, even when rainfall is heavy. The precipitation reaches the ground slower when there are forests and it gives the rainfall an opportunity to slowly penetrate the ground, allowing it to reach underground aquifers at a manageable pace.
#Iran: Flooding Worsens and Spreads Further Across Country
Reports from inside Iran indicate that flooding has occurred in almost all areas of Iran. So far, it seems that only one of Iran's 31 provinces has been spared the effects of major flooding.https://t.co/ZgOqAl7xFV pic.twitter.com/KWXw7SdlRP— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 26, 2019
If the regime continues to cut down forests at the current rate, it is expected that all remaining forests will have gone by 2050.
As with all of the regime’s malign policies, it is the people of Iran that suffer the most. Many people have lost their homes and / or their livelihoods in the past few years. If nothing drastic happens in the meantime, more and more Iranians will be affected.
The regime’s environmental destruction is reaching a stage where damage is irreversible.
