Sustainable Development, Climate Change/ Iran’s Position in the Global Index

Climate change is a reality /cannot be denied

Rising temperatures, changes in rain patterns, rise in sea levels, and the intensification of natural disasters not only threaten the environment, but also our economy, health, and social life.

Water scarcity, ecosystem demolition and environmental pressures, alongside these processes, directly affect the future of countries. In such conditions, moving towards sustainable development is no longer a voluntary choice, but a necessity for the survival of present and future generations.

Sustainable development is a process that meets today's needs in such a way that it does not jeopardize the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; and it relies on three main dimensions: economic, social, and environmental.

A glance at the results of some development projects in Iran indicates that many of these projects have not been sustainable in practice, because they have been implemented rushingly and to address the needs of the present generation, while the rights of future generations and environmental considerations have been neglected.

Measuring Climate Resilience with the ND-GAIN Index

To understand where we stand, we must rely on scientific and globally recognized tools. One of the most important of these tools is the ND-GAIN index, designed by the University Of Notre Dame in the United States and has regularly been updated since 2013. This index provides a comprehensive picture of countries' ability to deal with climate change and helps leaders make decisions based on scientific data rather than guess. In fact, ND-GAIN examines two main dimensions:

1-Vulnerability

2- Readiness

However, these two general dimensions themselves consist of important subcategories:

Subcategories of vulnerability (6 areas): food, water, health, ecosystem services, human housing, and infrastructure.

Subcategories of readiness (3 areas): economic, governance, and social.

ND-GAIN Index / Iran's Position

According to the latest report (2023), Iran ranks 87th in the global ND-GAIN index among more than 180 countries. This ranking shows that Iran is in the middle of the table, but with a significant distance from the leading countries.

Iran's Vulnerability: Iran's score in the vulnerability section is 0.376 out of 1; this means that the country is in a 'relatively vulnerable but still manageable' situation against climate threats. This vulnerability presents itself in various areas:

Water resources: Repeated droughts and unreasonable extraction of groundwater.

Food and agriculture: Decreased food security and pressure on traditional agriculture in water-scarce conditions.

Health: Increased diseases caused by heat and air pollution.

Ecosystem: Decline in biodiversity and soil erosion.

Cities and settlements: Increased risk of flooding and urban heat islands.

Infrastructure: weariness and low resilience against natural disasters.

‎Iran's readiness: Iran's score in the readiness section ‎‎ is ‎‎0.341‎‎, a low number that indicates the country's distance from the desired level in three main dimensions‎‎:‎

1-Economic: Limited access to capital for sustainable projects and severe reliance on oil revenues.

2- Governance: Lack of transparency, weakness in sustainable policymaking, and coordination among institutions.

3-Social: Education’s low level and public awareness regarding climate change and the necessity of changing consumption patterns.

To speak plainly, Iran is aware of it’s facing threats, but there are no tools and capacity to deal with them quickly and effectively.

‎ ‎‎By observing the trend of the past two decades, we understand that Iran's position is declining. In ‎‎the 2000s‎‎, ‎‎ the country ranked between ‎‎63‎‎ ‎‎and ‎‎67‎‎, but this position was gradually lost, and in ‎‎2023‎‎, the‎‎ rank ‎‎ collapsed to 87.

This decline is not due to a sudden increase in threats, but rather to a lag in strengthening infrastructure and reducing vulnerability, while many countries were able to improve their position during the same period‎‎. ‎

‎Iran's low score in both the vulnerability and readiness dimensions puts it in the bottom-left quadrant of the matrix.‎‎ ‎‎by comparing it with other countries we got that Iran's current vulnerabilities are still manageable at some level, but only by improving the level of preparedness can we provide the ground for effective adaptation to future climate challenges.‎