Speaking at the Clean Air Day conference on Monday, themed “National Determination for Clean Air with Renewable Energy,” Pezeshkian addressed concerns about the lack of enforcement of clean air laws.

He emphasized that the 14th administration, which has only been in office for a few months, is not to blame for the failure to implement these laws.

The president noted that one reason for the lack of enforcement, including the Clean Air Law, is the imbalance between resources and consumption.

“The foundation of development is balancing resources and consumption. Unfortunately, in development programs advanced by the government, parliament, and judiciary, this balance has not been maintained,” he said.

Pezeshkian highlighted the unsustainable development in Tehran, stating that the city can no longer support further growth or even a decent quality of life.

“Implementing any development plan in Tehran accelerates its path to destruction. While other countries hold emergency meetings for just one to two centimeters of land subsidence, we face subsidence of up to 1.5 meters and casually overlook it. Worse, we continue to legislate and set policies to sustain this flawed development,” he said.

He warned that it is impossible to meet Tehran’s water needs with current resources. “Building 10- to 50-story structures in 10- to 20-meter-wide alleys defies all principles. The mismatch between resources, capacities, and consumption cannot continue,” he added.

Known resources, unknown needs

Pezeshkian stressed that disputes cannot be resolved with numbers and statistics alone.

“We announced that we would not burn mazut this year, but then realized that if we didn’t, we would have to cut off household gas supplies. This is happening while our electricity and gas consumption is three to four times higher than the European average,” he said.

He noted that the government has initiated programs to add 30,000 to 50,000 megawatts of new electricity generation capacity to address fuel and power shortages.

“However, without reforming consumption patterns, these imbalances will persist,” he said.

The president acknowledged imbalances in water, electricity, fuel, finances, and the environment, emphasizing the government’s focus on clean energy.

“We hold daily meetings with the energy minister on solar panels and have allocated all necessary resources to clean energy because we have no other choice,” he said.

Managing resources

The president said he has consulted with university professors and researchers to find solutions to environmental challenges.

“Clean energy is one of our priorities, and we aim to implement it ahead of schedule. We are also addressing public transportation issues, as the lack of accessible public transport leads to increased single-occupancy vehicle use, higher fuel consumption, and pollution,” he said.

Pezeshkian pledged to prevent power outages for households and producers in the summer and to address gas shortages next winter. “A special task force has been established to resolve these issues by next year through necessary follow-ups,” he said.

He emphasized the need to manage the country’s abundant resources effectively.

“We must join hands and strategize. We cannot allow Tehran to grow this large. We must reform public transportation, fuel consumption, and vehicle usage. If the government and people do not care about their own lives, nothing will improve,” he said.