Shrinking Window for Climate Action: An HSE Wake‑Up Call for Public Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability

An environmental expert has warned that the narrowing window for climate action poses a serious threat to public health, infrastructure safety, and environmental sustainability, stressing that missed opportunities and weak HSE governance have significantly intensified existing risks.

According to ISNA, Iraj Heshmati, in a commentary submitted to the Iranian Students News Agency, referred to the International Conference on Air Pollution Management and noted that the event once again highlighted the deep interconnection between environmental, energy, fiscal, and safety crises. During the conference, the Head of the Iran Meteorological Organization cautioned that “the window of opportunity for climate action is shrinking day by day.” From an HSE perspective, this warning reflects not only the growing pressure of global climate change but also escalating risks to human health, occupational safety, and environmental resilience at the national level.

Resource Mismanagement and Escalating Health and Safety Risks

Heshmati emphasized that one of the clearest examples of missed opportunities in the HSE domain was revealed in the remarks of the Head of the Planning and Budget Organization on 10 November 2025, who stated that approximately USD 6 billion is spent annually on gasoline imports. These funds could have been invested in reducing air pollution, improving transport safety, expanding public transportation, and lowering the health burden of air‑pollution‑related diseases.

At the same time, the flaring of nearly 50 million cubic meters of associated petroleum gas per day—an approximate figure subject to annual fluctuations—represents not only a major loss of national resources but also a significant source of hazardous emissions. These emissions pose direct health risks to residents of industrial regions and increase occupational hazards for workers in the oil and gas sector.

Climate Impacts and the Public Health Burden

From an HSE standpoint, the flaring of associated gas results in the annual release of approximately 36 million tons of carbon dioxide, with cumulative emissions exceeding 300 million tons over the past eight years. Such emissions significantly contribute to climate change while simultaneously exacerbating respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, deteriorating air quality, intensifying heat waves, and increasing vulnerability among at‑risk populations.

Meanwhile, the continued concentration of industrial activities and population growth in major metropolitan areas—without adequate HSE safeguards—has amplified the risk of industrial accidents, chronic air pollution, and mounting pressure on the public health system. These conditions indicate that the challenge extends beyond technical limitations and is largely rooted in weak intersectoral coordination and insufficient enforcement of HSE regulations.

The Urgency of Action from an HSE Perspective

The author concludes that the shrinking window for climate action, when viewed through an HSE lens, signifies a simultaneous rise in health risks, safety threats, and environmental damage. Addressing this trajectory requires decisive policy choices and targeted investment in clean transportation, fuel quality improvement, renewable energy, enhanced meteorological monitoring systems, and the full implementation of the Clean Air Act.

While international conferences and expert forums can foster awareness and collaboration, Heshmati stresses that unless scientific warnings are translated into concrete action, real budget allocations, and HSE‑centered priorities, their impact will remain limited. Ultimately, the cost of inaction will be borne directly by public health, infrastructure safety, and the country’s environmental capital as the window for effective climate action continues to close.