An educational program was recently organized at the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs for NGOs on how to help optimize energy consumption and reduce air pollution. “We also have plans for holding a specialized educational conference on the same subject next spring,” said Reza Hojjati, social deputy at the ministry, ISNA reported. Noting that one single program will not go far in resolving important issues such as air pollution, he said, “There is a pressing need for more than 100 hours of education on optimizing energy consumption and curbing air pollution, and the immense potential in the youth and related NGOs could be instrumental,” he stressed. More than two weeks of heavy pollution in Tehran led officials to ban all outdoor sport on Wednesday as persistent cold weather exacerbated the city’s dangerous air quality levels. In the worst air pollution scenario in three years, primary schools and nurseries were closed and a city-wide even-odd car commute scheme was imposed in the capital.
