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Water exhibits various politico-economic dynamic. Water scarcity can lead to conflicts, and it lies at the core of Iran's environmental crises. The literature on Iran's water crisis indicates the effects of this issue in terms of multidimensional environmental degradation, community disintegration, and state-society and intercommunal conflict. Approximately 28 million of Iran's 85 million residents reside in water-stressed areas, a situation identified as 'water bankruptcy'. The water shortage is experienced differently across the country. The plateau's central regions, home to Iran's major industries, are where the worst water deficit is occurring. However, regions with abundant water resources have also been impacted. These regions – known as 'donor basins' – due to intensive and disproportional inter-basin water transfer and other engineering interventions deployed by the Government to deal with the water shortage of the central regions, suffer from a different form of water crisis. A condition of asymmetrical and conflictual power relations between the state and subaltern communities in Iran's peripheral regions has been created. This paper argues that this constitutes environmental racism, characterised by multilayered impoverishment and unsustainable development among communities in the donor regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Similarly to other places around the globe, Kurdistan has its environmental challenges, some of which are climate change-related and others of which are more local and specific. Nevertheless, in both cases, Kurdish environmental activists, organised in environmental NGOs, are the protectors of Kurdistan's natural environment. The study focuses on the emergence and objectives of environmental activism in Rojhelat/Eastern Kurdistan, arguing that the growth of environmental activism as NGOs is a nascent trend in Rojhelat, and requires an in-depth study of its various aspects. The research aims to conceptualise the Kurdish environmental movement and investigate the socio-political and environmental context in Rojhelat. This study is inspired by the concept of "subaltern environmentalism", articulating environmental activism as a platform deployed by marginalised communities in their response to intentional environmental discrimination by political and economic elites. Specific focus is placed on the NGO Chya Green Association, and its evolution, activity and discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]