Development Plans and the Environment in Iran

In the early 1970s, the Iranian government was committed to maintain a healthy environment in the country. While it was clear that the government would not sacrifice economic growth in order to preserve and protect the environment, several changes had been made in the Iranian Constitution aiming to achieve environmental improvement. In particular, the goal was to ensure the environmental activities become a major part of national development plans. There are evidences that show that the government has not been successful in tackling environmental challenges. The perceived severity of environmental degradation was positively related to the weakness of executive authority, the lack of administrative efficiency and the absence of a detailed program of action. These facts raise important questions: First, Whether society is willing to dedicate efforts to protect the environment. Second, whether the government makes enough efforts to prevent environmental degradation. Answering these questions leads to implications for environmental policy making.