Tehran, Jul 13 (IANS): Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has slammed Western countries for having played a major role in global environmental destruction over the past centuries.

"The hegemonic approach of Western governments during the past centuries and their unlimited encroachment on natural resources ... has been one of the main factors of environmental problems," Raisi said at a regional meeting on environmental issues held in the capital Tehran on Tuesday.

The West should "take more responsibility in environmental protection," he added, urging the Western countries to avoid using the environmental factor for their "new colonialism" in the technology field.

Raisi also pointed out some regional environmental challenges, including the crisis of increasing dust storms, climate change, and pollution of biological resources, Xinhua news agency reported.

The President stressed that the solution to the problems requires regional and global determination, saying that "the mechanism for solving environmental issues depends on regional cooperation and convergence".

The Regional Ministerial Meeting of Environmental Cooperation for a Better Future was held in Tehran on Tuesday with the participation of the ministers and other officials from 11 regional countries.