VIDEO. In Iran, the thwarted aspirations of young people concerned about the climate crisis

“For them, the ideal young Iranian is a dead young Iranian.” At 22, Sarah (first name has been changed) takes a harsh look at the way in which the Islamic Republic of Iran considers its youth. This student is the main narrator of the documentary We, the youth of Iran. Travel banned among Iranian Generation “Z”directed by Solène Chalvon-Fioriti and broadcast on Sunday April 21 on France 5. An unprecedented immersion into this massive and plural Iranian youth, whether political opponent or pro-regime.

This film was made possible through the use of artificial intelligence. This technique made it possible to completely anonymize the six young witnesses under the age of 25 who spoke out, despite the formal ban on communicating with foreign media. An essential precaution to protect them from reprisals, and which allows us to understand the upheavals in the intimate sphere and the public space of a rapidly changing society.

Ecology, a political fight for young Iranians

In the fall of 2022, Iran was shaken by large-scale protests after the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, 22, following a violent arrest by Tehran’s religious police. The event marks the starting point of the movement “Woman Life Freedom”, a massive revolt, carried mainly by students from the lower middle class. If this uprising, harshly repressed by the regime, eventually ran out of steam, it nevertheless sowed the seeds of another revolution, led by young politicized, connected, environmentalist and feminist people, most of whom reside in the large cities of ‘Iran.

Sarah served for a year as a correspondent in Iran for the documentary’s director. Using voice notes and videos, she recounted her daily life and that of her friends. A science student, she is particularly sensitive to the environment and the ecological cause, which has become a major space for protest.

“Because I do scientific studies, I understand better how the regime manages our resources. Basically: no matter how. The mullahs know nothing and the engineers around them are all sellouts.”

Sarah, science student

in the documentary “We, youth(s) of Iran”

For several years, Iran has been facing a major environmental crisis. The effects of climate change are aggravated by poor resource management, corruption and regime negligence. The country, which is one of the most exposed to global warming, is also one of the biggest polluters. Agricultural areas in the process of desertification, empty dams, land subsidence, drying up of lakes and rivers, sandstorms, deforestation, land grabbing… So many problems to which the Islamic Republic provides no real solution, denounce the young witnesses.

Drought and air pollution are suffocating cities

Surrounded by mountains and deserts, the capital Tehran, populated by 9.5 million inhabitants, is regularly paralyzed by pollution so severe that schools and administrations have to close their doors. “Young people cannot enjoy the outdoors, nor old people, nor people sick (…). Last year, even my bank closed for three days because of pollution.”says Sarah.

The dry bed of the Zayandeh Roud which crosses the city of Isfahan bears witness to the climate crisis which concerns Iranian youth. Once a haven of coolness, the river has now become a place of desolation. A dam diverted its supply. Water captured upstream flows through pipes intended to supply crops, industry and the needs of a growing population, and has literally depleted this waterway. Shirin, a 25-year-old environmental activist, surveys her cracked land. “The name of this river, Zayandeh Roud, means ‘fertile, giving birth’. But now it is more like a river that brings death.”laments the young woman.

The documentary We, the youth of Iran. Travel prohibited among the Iranian “Z” generation, directed by Solène Chalvon-Fioriti is broadcast on Sunday April 21 at 9:05 p.m. on France 5 and on the france.tv platform.