Further in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei stated:
"The fact is that the problem of environmental destruction has turned into a serious issue today, and if no solution is found immediately, this problem will change into a real crisis afflicting all mankind at a time not so far in the future. Thus, all effective means should be applied to counter this malady. Surely religion or spirituality is among such means, as it is effective in influencing the general public. But it is not clear whether it will also have an influence on those mainly responsible for the destruction of the environment! Nevertheless, we should continue to make efforts in this regard."
The Leader went on to say:
"I am sure all religions have instructions and guidelines about preservation of the environment. Islam, for its part, offers clear guidelines in this regard. In the view of Islam, the whole nature belongs to mankind. There is a verse in the Holy Qur'an that says: ‘And the earth, He has set it for living creatures;' (55:10)
"Another verse of the Holy Qur'an says: ‘He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth, ...' (2:29) Of course this does not mean that everything belongs only to the present generation. Therefore, all of us should try to protect the environment and natural resources of the earth, which are blessings of the Almighty, for both the present and coming generations.
"Anyone who harms nature should realize that he is betraying mankind, especially when the damage he is causing is permanent or irretrievable. In another verse of the Holy Qur'an, Almighty Allah describes some despicable human beings as follows: ‘And when he turns back, he runs along in the land so that he may cause mischief in it and destroy the tilth and the stock, and Allah does not love mischief-making.' (2:205)
"The verse clearly shows the attitude of Islam toward those who harm the environment. Surely the attitude of other religions toward this issue is also the same. In other words, all religions believe that whatever is in nature is a blessing of the Almighty bestowed on mankind, for which he should give thanks to his Creator. If this gratefulness is expressed, the blessings will increase. This thanksgiving is in reality correct and rational interaction with nature. If interaction with nature is such that nature will not be harmed by this interaction, more blessings will be obtained from it. But if no gratitude is expressed for divine blessings, this will evoke divine punishment. ‘And when your Lord made it known: If you are grateful, I would certainly give to you more, and if you are ungrateful, My chastisement is truly severe.' (14:7)
"What can be described as ingratitude? The destruction, spoiling or misusing natural resources are all tantamount to ingratitude for divine blessings. This will be followed by divine punishment. Today we can see various signs of this punishment, which are different diseases and other problems and shortcomings that all stem from harming the environment.
"However, it is also an undeniable fact that being cognizant of environmental problems is itself a great step toward solving these problems. The fact that today experts and scientists in different societies have realized the significance of environmental protection and are warning against factors threatening the environment is a positive phenomenon. But this is not enough, and effective measures should also be taken to protect the environment."
Concerning the role of big powers in harming the environment, Ayatollah Khamenei stated:
"Today, big powers play the greatest role in damaging the environment by dumping their nuclear waste, by causing chemical or nuclear catastrophes or by using depleted uranium in some weapons and deploying those weapons in different parts of the world, as was recently witnessed. All this damage is caused by big powers that are misusing science in order to add to their own strength."
As regards the measures so far taken to protect the environment, the Leader noted:
"The activists in the area of environmental protection are raising certain issues and slogans. This is positive in itself, but they should be more serious in this regard. In other words, they should declare openly which powers are causing the greatest harm to the environment today. The fact is that the United States is presently causing the most damage to the environment. Washington is not even ready to join the international agreements that are aimed at protecting the environment. But even the previous U.S. administrations that signed these agreements did not comply with them in practice. For instance, although the former U.S. administration had signed the Kyoto Accord on the Environment, it did not adhere to this agreement in reality. But the present U.S. administration does not recognize the agreement itself! This kind of arrogant attitude will surely prove harmful to the environment and mankind."
Ayatollah Khamenei went on to say:
"Today, the worst enemies of the environment are the richest and most powerful countries of the world. If you look for the reasons for the destruction of the ozone layer, the pollution of seas and oceans and the death of aquatic animals, deforestation and so forth, you will find out that big powers are mainly responsible for all this. They are the ones that produce the greatest amount of pollutants, the ones that consider no limits to their nuclear tests that spread radioactive materials in the environment, the ones increasingly stockpiling nuclear weapons in their arsenals, and the ones fomenting wars and military conflicts in the world in order to sell their weapons. The fact is that mankind is the victim of the interests of these powers."
In conclusion, Leader of the Islamic Republic stated:
"I hope in your final resolution, you will reveal these facts to the world so that nations and their governments may be able to make the right decisions in this regard.
"As far as this country is concerned, our government officials are taking the issue of environmental protection very seriously, and they are taking effective measures to counter those factors that are harmful to the environment. In other words, we are determined to make every effort to protect the environment. Unfortunately, some things have been imposed on us. For instance, we have to extract oil and sell it in the world markets. Otherwise, we would have preferred to use this divine blessing more cautiously and leave it for the future generations so that they may use it in a much better way. Perhaps some day, the coming generations will be able to produce something with a glass of oil much more valuable than what is obtained in return for a barrel of oil today. We are actually wasting this asset today, since it will surely prove more useful to mankind in the future.
"I hope all of us will be more successful in protecting the environment and preserving its precious resources. This is will be possible if followers of all religions play a more responsible role in this regard and pay more attention to environmental issues."