Hawzah News Agency (Tehran, Iran) – Here are some excerpts from Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks regarding the importance of saving the environment:

Forests and Seas are two great sources of wealth

The forests and the sea in Mazandaran are two great natural resources and two great opportunities for this province. These resources are two great sources of wealth for the people of this province as well as the people of our country.

These two great sources of wealth and these two great opportunities have to be preserved and used in an appropriate way. That is my advice to government officials of the country. These forests and this sea belong to our nation, and government officials are responsible for facilitating national affairs.

They have to be very careful. It is their duty to ensure optimal, economic, and appropriate exploitation of forests and to prevent misuse of our forests and seas. Our forests are misused more than our seas.

Greedy people and those who are seeking to advance their personal interests must not be allowed to channel these national sources of wealth into their own pockets under different pretexts. This is not acceptable.

This region, this city, and the beautiful lands of this region with their pleasant climate are all divine blessings. These blessings have to be utilized, but in an appropriate way. We must benefit from these blessings, but within divine limits.

We must exploit these resources, but we must also respect the values, religious beliefs, and moral values of the people of this region, the values that they have preserved in difficult conditions over long years.

Leader's Address to People of Chalous and Noshahr; October 7, 2009.

Our children should learn the significance of oceans, air, forests and soil

The judicial system, and systems that enforce the laws, as well as laws passed by the parliament, should all focus on considering any harm to the environment as a crime. Of course we do have laws—good regulations—however, a revision is necessary.

The destruction of environment must be considered a crime and must be prosecuted as a crime. Revision and reformation of the existing laws in this regard as well as consolidation of supervisions with no waiver should be realized. No waiver should be made to such supervisions, and the heads of the systems must personally supervise it.

But more important than all, is the process of establishing a tradition of environmental protection. People should learn how important the protection of the environment is. We should begin with primary schools, through textbooks.

Our children should learn the significance of forests, pastures, air, water, soil, oceans and the like, from their early ages; they should be sensitive about them. Protecting the environment must become a part of the public culture. Of course the role of national media cannot be ignored; the national media should play a role, but the people can also take action in this regard.

March ۸, ۲۰۱۵