Leaders of over 100 countries, environmental experts and activists and economic agents from around the world gathered in Glasgow to reach an agreement to contain carbon emission in the conference which will be held until November 12.
Leaders and high officials of over 200 countries around the globe would present their goals and commitments to counter the climate change and their plan to reduce carbon emission until 2030.
Iran has been represented in the conference by a delegation headed by the Iran’s Department of Environment Chief Ali Salajegheh.
Salajegheh singled out economic terrorism, i.e. illegal sanctions imposed unilaterally, as an emerging threat against sustainable development, leading to global warming.
He said that cruel sanctions against the Iranian nation have taken economic affairs hostage for political purposes and this prevented global efforts to counter climate change.
Iran’s Department of Environment has developed an ambitious national plan to deal with climate change impacts, Salajegheh said, adding that Iran is faced with an obstacle called economic terrorism when it comes to international cooperation.
He said that Iran’s Parliament that if the country fully joins the Paris Agreement on climate change, how it would implement its commitments while it cannot receive any international fund or technical assistance due to sanctions and unilateral coercive measures.
Elsewhere, Salajegheh criticized cessions of financial aids by Global Environment Facility (GEF) with regard to Iran when meeting the body’s CEO Carlos Manuel Rodriguez.
Salajegheh said that Iran took advantage of five rounds of GEF’s funding to accelerate advancement of its environment goals, but the funds have been since halted.
The head of Iran’s Department of Environment also told IRNA in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of COP26 that environment has a special status in different levels of Iranian culture and politics, including in religious teachings, traditions, the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the strategic approaches set by Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Implementation of the Paris Agreement by Iran is totally contingent on removing all sanctions imposed, the official said, criticizing wealthy countries for refusing to abide by their commitment to give 100 billion dollars in funds to developing countries.
Noting that political issues should not govern the spirit of such matters as environment, Salajegheh said that Iran’s main message to COP26 is that all countries should be committed to removing sanctions against Iran.
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