“Nature is man’s inorganic body —nature, that is, insofar as it is not itself human body. Man lives on nature—means that nature is his body, with which he must remain in continuous interchange if he is not to die. That man’s physical and spiritual life is linked to nature means simply that nature is linked to itself, for man is a part of nature.”
Marx, Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844
Historically, world leaders have used industrial development for the sake of profit and capital accumulation while neglecting the impact it has on humans and the natural resources we rely on. Among the consequences, air pollution stands out as one of the greatest problems caused by industrial civilization, which nation-states pay the least attention to because eliminating, or even significantly curtailing, these hazards would unacceptably slow down their profit-making. The harmful impacts of air pollution are not limited to human health; it also affects the soil, animals, plants, and every living being on Earth. Moreover, unlike other environmental pollutants, air pollution is not confined to a specific area and easily spreads across vast regions of the globe.
Air pollution’s global effects - which include acid rain, global warming, the destruction of the ozone layer, and climate change - harm the entire planet. In many countries today, due to the expanding use of fossil fuels, population growth, an increase in the number of vehicles, thermal power plants, lack of adequate public transport systems, improper urban management, and production processes that prioritize profit, citizens are exposed to dangerous pollutants on most days of the year. In countries like Iran, located in the heart of the sensitive Middle East, the presence of various pollutants in the air, water, and soil that surround people has reached such a deadly level that we could consider it a crime against humanity.
In Iran, the rulers and guardians of the nation’s wealth have pushed environmental issues beyond the critical threshold. Similar to many highly developed countries around the world, they are engaged in what amounts to ecocide for the sole purpose of generating more profit for their exclusive interests. They use their agents in television programs and street billboards to advise people to reduce domestic gas consumption and help preserve national resources, but behind the scenes, they are undermining these narratives by continuing to place value in systems that cause the most harm to the environment. As a result, our capital city, Tehran, has become one of the most polluted in the world.
Perhaps a person cannot fully grasp the true scale of this historical slaughter unless they see and understand the numbers. According to official statistics from the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, 50,000 people die in Iran annually due solely to air pollution. However, the actual number could be higher. Along with this, we face a monopoly in the car industry, leading to the production of low-quality domestic cars that are far less fuel efficient than newer models. It is estimated that 87% of the minibuses, 81% of the motorbikes, 73% of buses, and 61% of the trucks in Iran are dilapidated. With few regulatory standards, these vehicles emit unimaginable quantities of emissions.
And still, this may be the least terrifying part of the story of our struggle to breathe. In Iran, we have power plants, refineries, and industries that use dangerous substances like mazut to fuel their operations. According to the latest statistics from Iran Open Data, Iran’s daily consumption of mazut has reached 42 million liters. Mazut is a cheap fuel with high heat generation capabilities, and because it is economically viable, it is used by governments. Although mazut is cheaper than other fuels, it has harmful and deadly effects on both the environment and human health. The concentration of sulfur in mazut produced in Iran is about 3.5% (For reference, the allowed sulfur concentration for ship fuel is less than half a percent, according to the International Maritime Organization’s laws.)
Burning mazut produces sulfur and acid, leading to acid rain, which destroys plants and trees. It also accelerates global warming and climate change by depleting the ozone layer. Breathing in the fumes produced from burning mazut causes ailments ranging from headaches to heart and respiratory problems, and ultimately death. In 2024, the Iranian government announced at the beginning of its term that it would stop burning mazut in three power plants near cities. But even assuming this is true, the amount of mazut consumed in these three plants is small compared to the scale of the ongoing catastrophe.
For some time now, people in Arak, one of the most important industrial cities near which the Shazand power plant is located, have taken to the streets to protest against the polluted air they breathe. Many cities like Arak exist where residents suffer from pollution due to their proximity to power plants that consume mazut, such as Isfahan, Tehran, and Karaj - or even a power plant in Khorasan called the Toos power plant, which runs entirely on mazut.
The Iranian government, along with many other governments worldwide, is gambling with our planet’s biosphere and human lives just to accumulate more wealth. By burning cheaper fuels like mazut, and producing more cement, steel, and running other money-making industries, they are putting profit before people. They take no responsibility for these silent murders because internationally, there is no law or binding protocol to restrict them. Although the UN special rapporteur on human rights and the environment David Boyd has declared the burning of mazut in Iran as a violation of human rights, we need specific legislation that treats harm to the environment and humans as equivalent to other crimes against humanity, and holds governments actually accountable for their violations.
The most urgent and essential solution to save the Earth is to effectively regulate and adequately fine plundering governments and the wealth-hoarding elites worldwide. Although the effects of pollution are currently felt most by lower-income populations and populations in the Global South, the long-term effects of this issue in the not-so-distant future will not discriminate between the poor and the rich. Nature does not act justly in its wrath. It does not care who has disturbed its balance or harmed it. Nature will respond in a ruthless and irreversible manner, and that response will be the extinction of our current extractive way of life.
Erfan is an Environmental Activist, Translator, and Writer; Founder of the Education Committee at Jiway NGO and member of Chya NGO in Kurdistan Green Ambassador of Earth, UN House Scotland
The opinions and experiences presented in guest articles are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center.
