Oftentimes, it's easy to think of climate change as a global phenomenon - which of course, it is - but in doing so, we tend to forget the specific impact that it can have on local and regional communities. In cases like Iran's, environmental changes and dissatisfaction with the government have resulted in protests, political tension, and uprisings.
The LA Times released a piece a few weeks ago (which can be found here) that details some of the ongoing problems that Iran has been facing, especially in regards to climate change and drought. Dissatisfaction with the current regime seems to stem particularly from how the Iranian people believe the government is handling the crisis. As the problem continues to grow, Iran's lakes have dried up, dust storms have been aggravated, and fertile agricultural regions have grown barren, displacing local farmers and small-scale agriculture. Thousands of natural springs have dried up, and according to the article, Shahrokh Fateh, the director of Iran's Drought and Crisis Management Center, said "that 96% of the country's land area was experiencing prolonged drought conditions." The recent particularly turbulent protests cap off years of demonstrations over environmental conditions, which have been only exacerbated by how many Iranians - particularly the ethnic and religious minorities on the border - feel about how the government has been addressing the issue. Some argue that the projects undertaken by the government have been targeted to industrial regions with political connections, and further neglect the already marginalized.
In another article published in Time Magazine, photographer Ako Salemi attempts to capture the visual effects that have resulted from years of worsening climate change. In the broader scope of things, the article draws attention to the fact that Iran contributes very little to global climate change, but is unfortunately suffering from some of its worst consequences. What's even more concerning is when you look more closely at historical trends, unrest that has ultimately resulted in the Arab Spring and Syrian civil war partially stem from lingering droughts. And then when you consider that the Middle East is among the regions with the highest population growth rate - well, that makes it even more concerning.
So what does this mean? Well to begin, these articles draws particular focus to the overall impact of climate change that extend beyond what you typically hear in the news. Of course, the direct environmental impacts are immediate and concerning, and the fact that climate change has the potential to drastically impair agriculture is alarming, but there is more to the story than just that. Like the Egyptian Bread Riots - covered earlier in this blog - during the latter half of the 20th century, the protests and unrest in Iran are a modern-day example of how environmental issues may disrupt regional stability and result in political and social tension. While this does deviate from our main focus on agricultural sustainability and food security, it is another avenue that may become important in how we can design sustainable frameworks and solutions to address not only the issues now, but the issues that may arise in the future, before the arrival of the SDGs deadlines.
Some questions to consider might be: how does the drought in Iran relate to other things that we've covered (for example, our case study with Somalia) and how might we compare and contrast these regional problems? What can we do to mitigate the effects of climate change? To address the current crises going on - both in Iran and elsewhere - is it better to think long term (i.e. the Paris Agreement and other efforts to reduce climate change) or short term (i.e. implementing local policies to address the immediate problem)?
For some more information, if you're interested, check out this link here, and use the navigation bar (Overview, Energy, Water, Agriculture, Environment) to take a look at some more interesting resources and articles.
Additionally, if you haven't yet submitted your position paper, but would like to be in contention for a research award, please submit by TONIGHT at 11:59 PM PST. Otherwise, the deadline for anyone not interested in a research award but interested in a committee award will be next week, February 12th at 11:59 PM PST.
The LA Times released a piece a few weeks ago (which can be found here) that details some of the ongoing problems that Iran has been facing, especially in regards to climate change and drought. Dissatisfaction with the current regime seems to stem particularly from how the Iranian people believe the government is handling the crisis. As the problem continues to grow, Iran's lakes have dried up, dust storms have been aggravated, and fertile agricultural regions have grown barren, displacing local farmers and small-scale agriculture. Thousands of natural springs have dried up, and according to the article, Shahrokh Fateh, the director of Iran's Drought and Crisis Management Center, said "that 96% of the country's land area was experiencing prolonged drought conditions." The recent particularly turbulent protests cap off years of demonstrations over environmental conditions, which have been only exacerbated by how many Iranians - particularly the ethnic and religious minorities on the border - feel about how the government has been addressing the issue. Some argue that the projects undertaken by the government have been targeted to industrial regions with political connections, and further neglect the already marginalized.
In another article published in Time Magazine, photographer Ako Salemi attempts to capture the visual effects that have resulted from years of worsening climate change. In the broader scope of things, the article draws attention to the fact that Iran contributes very little to global climate change, but is unfortunately suffering from some of its worst consequences. What's even more concerning is when you look more closely at historical trends, unrest that has ultimately resulted in the Arab Spring and Syrian civil war partially stem from lingering droughts. And then when you consider that the Middle East is among the regions with the highest population growth rate - well, that makes it even more concerning.
So what does this mean? Well to begin, these articles draws particular focus to the overall impact of climate change that extend beyond what you typically hear in the news. Of course, the direct environmental impacts are immediate and concerning, and the fact that climate change has the potential to drastically impair agriculture is alarming, but there is more to the story than just that. Like the Egyptian Bread Riots - covered earlier in this blog - during the latter half of the 20th century, the protests and unrest in Iran are a modern-day example of how environmental issues may disrupt regional stability and result in political and social tension. While this does deviate from our main focus on agricultural sustainability and food security, it is another avenue that may become important in how we can design sustainable frameworks and solutions to address not only the issues now, but the issues that may arise in the future, before the arrival of the SDGs deadlines.
Some questions to consider might be: how does the drought in Iran relate to other things that we've covered (for example, our case study with Somalia) and how might we compare and contrast these regional problems? What can we do to mitigate the effects of climate change? To address the current crises going on - both in Iran and elsewhere - is it better to think long term (i.e. the Paris Agreement and other efforts to reduce climate change) or short term (i.e. implementing local policies to address the immediate problem)?
For some more information, if you're interested, check out this link here, and use the navigation bar (Overview, Energy, Water, Agriculture, Environment) to take a look at some more interesting resources and articles.
Additionally, if you haven't yet submitted your position paper, but would like to be in contention for a research award, please submit by TONIGHT at 11:59 PM PST. Otherwise, the deadline for anyone not interested in a research award but interested in a committee award will be next week, February 12th at 11:59 PM PST.
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