Institutional challenges of monocentric climate governance in the legal system of Iran

Abstract

Iran has, over the last approximately two decades, started to address climate change in its legal system through a number of regulations and institutional arrangements. However, due to various multidimensional challenges, Iran has not achieved considerable success in its climate action. This article examines Iran’s institutional challenges in climate change administration, and discovers that one of the main barriers to its progress in climate action is monocentric climate governance. While it is emphasized that climate governance should be participatory and polycentric to be able to improve climate action, climate governance in Iran is based on a command and control and hierarchical model of governance, which leads to some restrictive institutional challenges. This article recognizes two main institutional challenges of climate governance in Iran’s legal system: first, governmental monocentrism in which the central government is the main actor in climate governance; and, second, inadequate institutional arrangements in climate administration. Consequently, on the one hand, non-governmental bodies, the business sector, and civil society struggle to participate positively in all processes of climate change administration. On the other hand, the relevant governmental institutions are not well-prepared for effective and coordinated climate action. In order to improve its climate policy and action, Iran needs to mitigate these institutional barriers promoting polycentric climate governance in its legal system and diversifying actors, actions, sections and instruments.