The environmental crisis in Iran is exacerbated by the effects of acid rain, resulting from attacks on oil facilities in the context of the conflict with the United States and Israel.
According to organizations like Greenpeace, these bombings have released a large amount of atmospheric pollutants that can cause irreversible damage to ecosystems, agriculture, and human health.
The process of burning unrefined oil emits high levels of sulfur and pollutant oxides, which transform into corrosive precipitation when mixed with water in the atmosphere.
Acid rain not only affects air quality and urban areas near the bombed sites, but also endangers water resources and agricultural lands in a country already vulnerable due to rainfall scarcity and climate change.
Experts and Greenpeace have highlighted how altered precipitation affects flora and destabilizes cultivated soils. In arid areas, the accumulation of toxic substances in aquifers compromises long-term food security.
Moreover, the dispersion of gases derived from the burning of hydrocarbons causes severe respiratory crises in large cities. The mountainous geography of cities like Tehran worsens the situation, trapping dense clouds of smoke that mainly affect vulnerable people.
The phenomenon of acid rain in Iran is closely linked to military attacks on the country’s energy infrastructures. Greenpeace explains that the crude oil stored in refineries contains significant amounts of sulfur, which are removed during refining.
However, when these facilities are bombed, large amounts of sulfur and nitrogen oxides are released, which react with water in the clouds to form acids responsible for acid precipitation.
This type of precipitation, with a much lower pH than normal, can severely damage flora, crops, and vegetation, also accumulating in soils and bodies of water, especially in regions with scarce rainfall.
Acid Rain in Iran
The environmental degradation resulting from these military conflicts can have a lasting impact on food production and the local economy, experts warn.
The atmospheric pollution derived from these attacks also poses a significant risk to public health. Sulfur and nitrogen oxides cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems, especially affecting the elderly, children, and those with pre-existing conditions.
Researcher Eoghan Darbyshire from the Conflict and Environment Observatory warns that Tehran’s location, surrounded by mountains, facilitates the accumulation of dangerous smoke, creating a silent health crisis.
The environmental impacts of modern wars, as evidenced in the Iranian case, go beyond immediate military damage, compromising biodiversity and the regional climate. Offensives against energy facilities rapidly release large amounts of pollutants and carbon emissions.
Greenpeace emphasizes the need to increase the protection of energy and environmental infrastructures in conflict contexts, given that the effects of acid rain and other pollutants can last for decades.
