Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
phd.student of political sociology.razi university
2
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Faculty of Social Sciences, Razi University of Kermanshah
3
PhD student in Political Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Razi University of Kermanshah.
10.22126/mps.2025.12131.1059
Abstract
Iran faces major environmental crises such as water scarcity, air pollution, soil erosion, dust stroms, and land subsidence, which pose serious threats to sustainable development. These issues not only endanger the country,s natural ecosystem but also have significant consequences for public health, socoal security, and the quality of life of citizens. Although natural factors such as drought and climate change contribute to the severity of these crises, much of the problem stems from structural weaknesses in natural resource management, lack of transparency in policymaking, and the absence of mechanisms for collective participation.The emergence of Environmental movementsin the early 1960s was a response to global concerns about the destruction of natural resources, increasing pollution, and the growth of consumerism. These movements gained more momentum in the following decade because acquiring environmental information is the first step towards environmental sustainability and is essentially a condition for the future survival of humanity.understanding the principles of environmental recognition and living based on them will increasingly provide the public with the demands to protect the environment.This research, based the general theory of Habermas and a descriptive-analytical approach, attempts to examines the role of social institutions, media, universities, and civil society actors in addressing environmental crises in lran. From a general perspective, it provides the possibility of analyzing the relationship between official power structures and forms of public participation, emphasizing the importance of rational discourse in decision-making. Research findings indicate that lack of an independent public sphere and discourse-centered approach, along with weakness in rational citizen participation, have led to a decline in social capital in the environmental sphere .Ultimately, this research emphasizes the need to reconstructing the public sphere, strengthen civil society organizations, ensure free access to, information, and foster collective will in society.
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