University Report: Iran's SDG 7 and the Geopolitics of Clean Energy

This report examines the importance of SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) for Iran's development, considering the country's reliance on energy-intensive sectors and fossil fuels. It explores the need for renewable energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable development. The report discusses the role of the Iranian government in achieving SDG 7, highlighting existing policies and the challenges in implementing renewable energy technologies. It emphasizes the significance of clean energy in addressing environmental issues and ensuring long-term economic stability, analyzing the potential impact of government policies on the country's energy landscape. The report further provides an overview of the current energy situation and offers insights into the actions needed to achieve SDG 7 goals in Iran.

Running head: GEOPOLITICS OF TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
GEOPOLITICS OF TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
IRAN
SDG7. Affordable and clean energy
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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Executive Summary
Iran has been showing high level of dependence on energy-intensive sectors in support of
domestic economic production and export. It has been noted that Iran constitutes an increased
dependence on oil products in order to attain principal energy requirements and for its
petrochemical and metal business. However, regardless of the diversification of energy sources
intended for domestic utilization, energy price improvement has shown incompetence in
following whereby energy intensity tends to remain elevated further posing a severe threat to the
Iran’s economy. The report has offered ways in which SDG 7- Affordable and clean energy
plays an important role in the growth of nations like Iran. Additionally, it focused on the ways in
which Iranian government has been playing crucial role in maintaining SDG-7 for its country’s
betterment.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Discussion........................................................................................................................................3
Need for SDG 7 in Iran................................................................................................................3
Importance of Sustainable Development Goals..........................................................................4
Significance of SDG7-Affordable and clean energy in Iran.......................................................5
Role of Iranian Government in achieving SDG 7.......................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
Across the globe, several emergent nations have accounted diverse events of effectively
executing Renewable Energy (RE) program aided by bilateral or multilateral financial support
(Kaygusuz, 2016). In developing nations like Iran financial support has served a decisive role in
RE program promotion and whether such a funding will direct to sustainable development. Iran
owns a range of resources for energy production which includes natural resources and land.
Lomazzi, Borisch and Laaser (2014) have stated that even though Iran comprises of one of the
leading fossil fuel reserves, the nation’s development plan in addition to global commitments
necessitates the lessening of greenhouse gas (GHGs) along with the accomplishment of clean
energy generation. However, the acceptance of renewable implementation approaches with the
capacity to support sustainable development as well as overcoming barriers obstructing
expansion of Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) currently sustains as a big confront to
stakeholders occupied in encouragement of RE resources in Iran (Ershad, 2017). The following
paper aims to evaluate ways in which SDG 7- Affordable and clean energy plays an important
role in the growth of nations like Iran. Additionally, it will highlight the ways in which Iranian
government has been playing crucial role in maintaining SDG-7 for its country’s betterment.
Discussion
Need for SDG 7 in Iran
According to Mostafaeipour et al. (2014), the Islamic Republic of Iran shows severe
deficit of policy frameworks which demand provision of energy for sustainable development.

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Such a lack of valuable policy framework tends to pose great challenge in order to promote
Renewable Energy Technologies in the country. Furthermore, reports of Kaygusuz (2016) have
revealed that even though policy information have been successfully issued in Iran, various
stakeholders have failed o receive any proposals or advices regarding the way to apply them as
tactics as well as enduring policies further implying severe lack in the accomplishment of
guidelines (Unctad.org, 2019). Thus endeavours to support clean and affordable energy have
resulted in more than 35% of global power which has been efficiently generated by renewable
sources as of 2015. However, yet one in five people have shown severe lack access to electricity
in addition to the demand which maintain to rise, demands to be a considerable increase in the
production of renewable energy across the world. Furthermore, the funding of renewable and
clean energy to the aggregated energy mix has shown insufficiencies because of the lack of
infrastructure. Mostafaeipour et al. (2014) have noted that although the majority of governments
in Iran essentially depend on bilateral or multilateral funding to support RE performance, the
policies requiring greater amount of attention tends to constrain proper sharing of RETs.
Importance of Sustainable Development Goals
Costanza et al. (2016) have stated that although MDGs have shed light on critical areas
related to lack of school and education, shortage of proper accessibility to health care along with
achieving clean and renewable energy and severe deprivation of uncontaminated water and
sanitation, SDG on the other hand not only significantly address the measurable developments in
the wellbeing of individuals with economic growth of countries with the means of the way
changes shall be induced. SDG has been playing decisive role in developing nations like Iran as
SDGs have been focusing on increase of access to electricity in economically deprived nations
which have in recent times begun to accelerate with development overtaking population growth.

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Significance of SDG7-Affordable and clean energy in Iran
Climate change has been identified as a highly unexpected phenomenon because of the
emissions of GHG primarily generating from burning of fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas
(Unescap.org, 2017). However as per the Sustainable Development Goal 7, renewable energy
can successfully offer zero-GHG-emissions option. Lomazzi, Borisch and Laaser (2014) have
noted that unsustainable utilization patterns of economically developed nations has accounted for
around 72% of fossil fuels. Reports of Costanza et al. (2016) have noted that in 2015, around 125
countries across the world have established sustainable goals in order to develop renewable and
clean energies till 2020. However, among these nations, Iran has been aiming to persuade its
goals in development of these energies because of extensive renewable resources in the nation.
Furthermore, as per opinion of Lomazzi, Borisch and Laaser (2014) because of increasing
environmental issues along with exhaustibility of fossil fuels nations like Iran with substantial
amount of resources of gas and oil should not depend on these resources.
Additionally, Mostafaeipour et al. (2014)have revealed that rate of oil production in Iran
would have reduced within the next decade and thus resulting Iran to encounter severe lack of
clean and affordable energy. Moreover, oil production has not only been identified as the only
barrier to sustainable development but further has been considered as a critical obstacle for
political development. Between 1990 and 2010, the number of people with access to electricity
has increased by 1.7 billion, and as the global populace continues to raise thus will insist for
economical energy. However, a global financial system has been showing great dependence on
fossil fuels, along with the increase of greenhouse gas emissions that has been creating radical
changes to our climate system (Lomazzi, Borisch & Laaser, 2014). Thus, taking into
consideration these areas of challenges, Iran has shown high inclination towards SDG7 in which

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the need for adequate clean energy supply can reduce Iran’s dependency on fossil fuel resources
(Unescap.org, 2017).
Role of Iranian Government in achieving SDG 7
At this juncture, Kaygusuz (2016) has emphasized on the critical role of government in
surmounting the tribulations that clean and affordable energy resources have been encountering
facing a progressive power whereby it could serve a fundamental role for improvement of
infrastructural measures. Moreover, proficiently guaranteeing universal contact to affordable
electricity by the year 2030 has implied that investing in clean energy sources primarily based on
solar, wind and thermal. Therefore, using highly economical and lucrative values for an
extensive series of technologies could also condense the global electricity use by buildings and
business by over 20%. Increasing infrastructure as well as improving technology in order to
afford clean energy in all emergent countries has been a major goal which can both support
growth and aid the environment.
However, Ershad (2017) has identified a severe lack of financial resources along with the
shortage of essential dynamicity in providing the supports. The fundamental problem of
achieving renewable energies development has been identified as great area of concern
pertaining to all sectors in Iran along with its lack of security in research and development.
Furthermore, the Iranian government has been contributing acknowledging solutions in
agreements which could be the reason for easy development as well as decrease of pressure for
all actions related to successful dissemination of technical knowledge of production (Sustainable
Development Goals | UNDP, 2019).

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Conclusion
Hence to conclude, the development procedure in Iran has illustrated that during two
decades, renewable energies have shown the capacity of supplying over 5% of total electricity
requirements of the country. Moreover, it has been highly evident that in regards to the progress
of sustainable development. Thus, in order to achieve SDG goal, the regulations of the
government of Iran for renewable energy growth should be considered and develop as an action.
As a result, taking into consideration cultural and educational concerns in international scale of
energy planning would enable to inform the country about various environmental problems and
necessity of achieving clean and affordable energy as per SDG 7.

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References
Costanza, R., Daly, L., Fioramonti, L., Giovannini, E., Kubiszewski, I., Mortensen, L. F., ...
& Wilkinson, R. (2016). Modelling and measuring sustainable wellbeing in
connection with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Ecological Economics, 130,
350-355.
Ershad, A. M. (2017). Institutional and policy assessment of renewable energy sector in
Afghanistan. Journal of Renewable Energy, 2017.
Kaygusuz, K. (2016). Hydropower as clean and renewable energy source for electricity
generation. Journal of Engineering Research and Applied Science, 5(1), 359-369.
Lomazzi, M., Borisch, B., & Laaser, U. (2014). The Millennium Development Goals:
experiences, achievements and what's next. Global health action, 7(1), 23695.
Mostafaeipour, A., Jadidi, M., Mohammadi, K., & Sedaghat, A. (2014). An analysis of wind
energy potential and economic evaluation in Zahedan, Iran. Renewable and
Sustainable Energy Reviews, 30, 641-650.
Rabiei, E., Feili, H., Ahmadian, P., Majidi, B., & Karimi, J. The Economic Analysis between
Wind Energy and Biogas Energy to Determine Economic Policy in the Renewable
Energy Systems in Iran.
Sustainable Development Goals | UNDP. (2019). Sustainable Development Goals | UNDP.
Retrieved from http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-
goals.html

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Unctad.org. (2019). The role of science, technology and innovation in increasing
substantially the share of renewable energy by 2030. Retrieved from
https://unctad.org/meetings/en/SessionalDocuments/ecn162018d2_en.pdf
UNDP in Iran. (2019). Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy. Retrieved from
http://www.ir.undp.org/content/iran/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-7-
affordable-and-clean-energy.html
Unescap.org. (2017). Status of the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 7 in
Asia and the Pacific. Retrieved from
https://www.unescap.org/commission/73/document/E73_INF5E.pdf