“Iran’s Environment Can’t Stand Unwise Decisions”

In a speech on the necessity of people’s participation in Iran’s May 19 presidential election on Sunday (May 7), the head of Iran’s Department of Environment, Masoumeh Ebtekar, urged Iranians to learn their lesson from the past bitter experiences and make optimum use of their right to vote to help guarantee the continuation of the projects underway by the incumbent government.

According to a report by IFP, she said, “Let’s use our right to vote to prevent the recurrence of the past bitter experiences.”

She added the wrong decisions made in the past have been the main cause of the numerous problems the domestic economy has been and is still beset with as well as the difficulties the country and its people have run into in the past few years.

“Iran’s forests, lagoons and Lake Urmia [in northwestern Iran] can no longer tolerate imprudence. Let’s use our right [to vote] and let Iran’s nature to breathe again. Let us contribute to the continuation of the plans that have already been launched to make the environment healthy.

“Let’s use our right [to vote] to be able to breathe in clean air.”

She added the environmental plans implemented in President Rouhani’s administration have helped improve air quality in the country’s metropolises and led to a reduction in the amount of dangerous pollutants, such as benzene – which is carcinogenic and has increased the number of people suffering from cancer in the country – in the air in the Iranian cities.

Ebtekar said currently, the amount of air pollutants in Iranian cities have reached a standard level.

“Let’s take part in the election to help guarantee the continuation of the plans [started by the incumbent government]. Let’s use our right to prevent a security atmosphere from pervading the country and to be able to remove the limitations faced by domestic media and activists.

“By making use of our right to vote, we can continue doing our activities freely in the society, voice our criticism and have freedom after speech,” she added.