English abstract
The Islamic Republic of Iran lies in western Asia. In the north it is littoral to the Caspian Sea and borders Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. It is contiguous with Turkey and Iraq to the West. In the South the country is littoral to the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman and abuts Pakistan and Afghanistan to the East. The principal and official language is Farsi (Persian). The population in 1994 (the base year) was about 57.7 million (now estimated at 72.0 million). The area coverage of different types of climate in Iran is 35.5% hyper-arid, 29.2% arid, 20.1% semi-arid, 5% Mediterranean and 10% wet (of the cold mountainous type). Thus more than 82% of Iran's territory is located in the arid and semi-arid zone of the world. The average rainfall in Iran is about 250 mm, which is less than 1/3 of the average rainfall in the world (860 mm). In addition, this sparse precipitation is also unfavorable with respect to time and location. Another important climatic element is extreme temperature changes that sometimes range from -20 to +50°C. Severe drought is also recognized as a feature of Iran's climate. In the last three years, the country has suffered severe desiccation and this lack of rainfall has resulted in extensive losses. Based on the research and assessment carried out during the Climate Change Enabling Activity Project under UNFCCC and using the scenarios proposed by IPCC, it is estimated that if the CO2 concentration doubles by the year 2100, the average temperature in Iran will increases by 1.5-4.5°C which will cause significant changes in water resources, energy demand, agricultural products and coastal zones. The direct adverse impacts of climate change include changes in precipitation and temperature patterns, water resources, sea level rise and coastal zone, agriculture and food production, forestry, drought frequency and intensity and human health. The indirect adverse economic impacts result from the response measures taken by the developed countries.
