“My homeland, Iran, is facing an environmental crisis. The Islamic Republic’s incompetence and mismanagement of natural resources have exacerbated climate change. Iran is now a water bankrupt country. Rivers are dying, aquifers are depleting, the soil is eroded, grasslands are deserted and forests are burning. Additionally, the judiciary and Revolutionary Guards have essentially made peaceful wildlife conservation a crime. Eight conservationists are currently serving lengthy prison terms simply for doing their jobs. Environmental injustice anywhere is a threat to us all. Which makes it more crucial than ever to establish coordinated efforts to combat the global climate crisis.”