The 15th International Environment Exhibition opened at the Tehran International Permanent Fairgrounds on Monday.
It is hosting 271 domestic companies and 23 from 20 countries including Britain, Germany, Sweden, France, Republic of Ireland, Canada, Taiwan, Belgium, Italy, Finland, Spain, Czech Republic, Holland, Austria, Brazil, New Zealand, Denmark, Turkey, Switzerland and the US, according to Mehr News Agency.
“The expo is held in an area covering of nearly 19,000 square meters,” said Majid Fadaei, director of the public relations at the Department of the Environment and lead organizer of the event.
The government’s stated goal is to move toward a green economy that relies on sustainable development, which is reflected in the exhibition’s theme. Special attention has been given to energy management, renewables, sustainable technology and eco-friendly vehicles in an effort to help address the country’s growing environmental problems.
Substandard vehicles have taken a heavy toll on air quality in major cities across Iran, while gross mismanagement of water resources and inefficient farming practices has seen water reserves plummet to alarmingly low levels. Furthermore, the country’s failing energy policies has helped make Iran a top ten emitter of carbon dioxide, which officials hope to be able to address with new technology and major policy reforms.
A distinguishing feature of the 15th edition is the presence of a large number of environmental NGOs. “One hundred non-governmental organizations from all 31 provinces have taken up an entire hall,” Fadaei said.
The opening ceremony was attended by senior Iranian and foreign officials, including DOE chief and vice president, Masoumeh Ebtekar, governor of the central bank, Valiollah Seif, Finnish and Austrian ministers of agriculture and environment Kimmo TiiliKainen and Andra Rupprechter, and Masaaki Kobayashi, vice minister for global environment affairs at Japan’s Ministry of the Environment.
The exhibition is runs until Thursday and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
