The Iran Chamber of Commerce hosted a conference on “Climate Change and its Effects on the Economy and Business.” Most speakers were in agreement on the use of solar power, focusing on low carbon economics and investing in these areas, reported Shargh daily.
During talks, Mohsen Naseri, professor at the University of Tehran said that as a result of climate change, the agriculture sector will suffer 120 thousand billion IRR ($3.4m) in damages, annually. He added that in the future, we will see a noticeable decline in downpour in the middle Zagros and western Kurdistan areas. This region generally supplies water to the entire country and therefore a reduction in rainfall here, will affect the whole country. Iran’s hydroelectric power is mainly produced from the Greater Karoon Area and the dams on this river. A reduction in rainfall in the region will cause a reduction in the water levels of the Karoon River. This will undermine the country’s capacity in producing hydroelectric power.
He added that 50% of the countries dry farming will be easily affected by the increased heat and reduced rainfall. Produce such as potatoes, beans, rice and wheat will see a decrease in production. There are ways to counter the effects of these change. Among them, greenhouse farming seems promising since it reduces the effects of the environment.
Banafshe Zahraii, professor at the University of Tehran also noted dust storms as an effect of climate change and added that these dust storms reduce the depth and lifespan of snow.
