The head of the Department of Environment (DoE) said promoting green economy is a top priority and “one of the most effective strategies in creating jobs.”
Masoumeh Ebtekar quoted by ILNA said that “energy conservation methods and the jobs it could create can be instrumental in solving many problems.”
Ebtekar, who was addressing a gathering to honor the founder of the University of Applied Science and Technology – late Mohammad Taghi Ebtekar, said the key to generating more jobs in today’s world is vocational education.
‘’It has been our sincere attempt to apply the same rule at the DoE and during my previous tenure we focused on the environment research center to expand applied science in the area of environment,’’ Ebtekar said. She reiterated that the focus of the department is on ‘’green environment and environmental jobs.” According to the United Nations Environment Program, a green job is “work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development (R&D), administrative, and service activities that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality.”
Constitutional Privilege
Ebtekar pointed to the environmental rights granted in the constitution and said at the time the constitution was drafted only a handful of countries had “environmental principles and this shows how advanced our constitutional law is.” She pointed out that some years later the Nanotechnology Headquarters was launched, which is another landmark achievement. ‘’Today, thanks to the efforts of researchers in this area, Iran has a good ranking in nanotech industries in the world,’’ she added.
Energy Use Behavior
Ebtekar stressed the need for change in energy use behavior “to help reduce the cumbersome energy costs” and said this must be done through practical training and technical education.
She described the country’s ranking in greenhouse emissions as ‘’disturbing’’ and noted that energy conservation and job creation can solve many of these challenges. She named the 2014 renewable energy report as the ultimate blueprint for economic growth. ‘’Vocational training is one of the best ways of a link between universities, employment production, industries and environmental care,’’ she concluded.
