Studying the Concept of Environmental Security with an Overview of the Challenges of Environmental in Iran

In the modern global approach toward security, a priority is given to threats for national security caused by instability, destruction, improper distribution, and limitations for some environmental resources. Therefore, it is essential to recognize vulnerable regions and the effects of these challenges on national security with regards to the vast and inevitable consequences of environmental threats and importance of preventing security issues in order to block them from turning into a crisis. This study seeks to answer the question that what are the most important environmental challenges of Iran? And among them, which one is more vitally critical? Consequently, the hypothesis advanced by the present research is that, through the conceptual expansion perspective and multiplicity in security dimensions, Islamic Republic of Iran faces various threats that, among them, environmental threats constitute a higher priority and complexity. Therefore, two main points are to be considered about Iran’s environmental security: 1) understanding and recognizing the expansive concept of security that includes environmental threats as well; 2) identifying causes and drives of environmental changes affecting Iran security. To do so, the present study uses Delphi method and semi-structured interviews to collect, codify, and prioritize the most important challenges affecting Iran’s environmental security. The study concludes that, after identifying the medium weight among the 15 present standards, issues related to water crisis and air pollution because of their critical and security conditions and aspects, are essentially and vitally important. Therefore, what constitutes the significance of this study is prioritizing and positioning environmental security and recognizing a set of most critical environmental challenges that Islamic Republic of Iran is currently facing.