2025 Reports

Challenges of Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Planning in a Global South Urban Management System: Evidence from Tehran, Iran

Pazhuhan, Mousa

The capital of Iran, Tehran, is confronted with diverse climate change risks while the city significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). However, the city lacks comprehensive formal mitigation and adaptation planning at both the regional and local levels. This deficiency in urban management is attributed to the unintegrated urban management system and limited qualifications in policy making and urban planning at the local level. Meanwhile, Iran is considered the leading country in the Middle East responsible for climate change, with total GHG emissions of nearly 616,741 million tons of CO₂. Tehran, which includes 20% of the total urban population and 35% of the total industries (SCI, 2020), has a significant share in fossil fuel consumption and GHG emissions. The present study, utilizing a secondary research method, aims to investigate the root causes of the inability of Tehran's urban management system to develop mitigation and adaptation plans despite the high vulnerability of the city to climate risks. The findings reveal that Tehran's urban management system faces various institutional, legal, and managerial barriers for formulating climate adaptation and mitigation plans despite the serious vulnerability of the city to climate risks and the national commitments to 2050 net zero goal.