Environment - The Times Of Central Asia

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Green Economy

UNDP and Eldik Bank Partner to Advance Green Finance in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan is taking a significant step toward building a greener and more resilient economy. On September 9, state-owned Eldik Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation in sustainable finance. The agreement aims to mobilize climate-related investments, develop sustainable financial products, and integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into Kyrgyzstan’s banking sector. It also outlines plans for joint research and knowledge exchange in climate finance, including the creation of tools to assess climate risks in lending operations. This initiative supports Kyrgyzstan’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) under the Paris Agreement, which commit the country to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding renewable energy, and enhancing climate resilience. It also aligns with the National Development Program through 2030, which prioritizes expanding the regulatory framework for green finance. “UNDP supports the development of sustainable finance solutions that reduce the carbon footprint of the economy, enable the green transformation of businesses, and create new opportunities for investment,” said Alexandra Solovieva, UNDP Resident Representative in Kyrgyzstan. For Eldik Bank, the partnership represents more than a financial commitment; it is a strategic step toward becoming a catalyst for climate-conscious economic development. “Together with UNDP, we aim to introduce products that promote green growth and sustainable business development for our clients,” said Ulanbek Nogaev, Chair of the bank’s Management Board. Green finance is gaining traction across Central Asia, a region still heavily reliant on extractive industries but increasingly vulnerable to climate risks such as water scarcity, extreme weather, and glacial melt. Kyrgyzstan’s efforts to empower domestic financial institutions signal that achieving climate goals will require more than policy declarations; it will demand concrete investments and innovation. The Eldik Bank-UNDP partnership also underscores the importance of regional cooperation. Similar initiatives are under discussion in neighboring countries, as Central Asia seeks to attract international capital for renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and green infrastructure projects. If effectively implemented, Kyrgyzstan’s model could serve as a regional benchmark, demonstrating how national banks can help transform global climate commitments into tangible, growth-oriented outcomes.

Afghanistan Earthquake

Tajikistan Sends Large Convoy with Quake Aid to Afghanistan

Tajikistan has said it has sent more than 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, one of the biggest dispatches of supplies from another country since a devastating earthquake in eastern Afghan provinces on August 31. Photographs released by the office of President Emomali Rahmon show a long line of trucks on a highway, apparently headed to the border with Afghanistan on Monday. The delivery came as the United States and other countries congratulated Tajikistan ahead of the 34th anniversary of its Sept. 9, 1991 independence from the collapsing Soviet Union. “The aid loaded on a caravan of trucks consists of 24 types of necessary products and materials, including flour, oil, sugar, rice, bedding, clothing and footwear for children, adolescents and adults, tents, building materials, reinforcement, boards, slate, cement, and other goods and products,” Tajikistan’s presidential office said. It said the aid exemplified Tajikistan’s “humane and good-neighborly policy.” Tajikistan retains security concerns about its border with Afghanistan. Tajik border guards and fighters with Afghanistan’s Taliban government exchanged fire in an area along the border on August 24, though the two sides later met to reduce tensions. Tajikistan’s aid convoy traveled to Afghanistan two days after Uzbekistan handed over 256 tons of aid in the Afghan border city of Hairatan. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also thanked Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan for assistance following the quake, which killed at least 2,200 people. It expressed gratitude in a post on X that listed dozens of countries that have sent help. Central Asian countries in particular have been building ties with Afghanistan as they seek to expand trade routes. The quake destroyed thousands of homes, and humanitarian workers are still struggling to reach affected communities in remote, mountainous areas. Shannon O’Hara, a senior United Nations aid coordination official in Afghanistan, said on Monday that emergency responders are prioritizing aid to women, children, and people with disabilities. “In Afghanistan, in recent years, women and girls have been pushed to the very margins of society and survival,” O’Hara said, according to a U.N. statement. “We know from previous earthquakes and other crises that women and girls always bear the heaviest burden.”

Water Management

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan Agree on Joint Water and Energy Measures

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan have reached a landmark agreement on coordinated water and energy management, signaling a deepening commitment to cross-border cooperation amid growing seasonal and climate-related challenges. The agreement was formalized on September 7 in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, during a meeting of energy ministers and water management authorities from the three countries. The protocols define mutual obligations for water releases and electricity exchanges, with the goal of balancing the region’s energy needs and preserving critical water resources. Under the terms of the agreement, Kyrgyzstan will release water from the Toktogul Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) reservoir to downstream Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In return, Kyrgyzstan will receive electricity from both countries through spring 2026. According to the Kyrgyz Ministry of Energy, the arrangement is designed to optimize the use of water stored in Toktogul and to secure reliable electricity supplies for Kyrgyzstan during the 2025-2026 autumn-winter period. Regional Power Transit Agreements The protocols also include provisions for cross-border electricity transit: from Russia to Kyrgyzstan via Kazakhstan’s grid, and from Turkmenistan to Kyrgyzstan through Uzbekistan’s transmission network. The Toktogul HPP, situated on the Naryn River, a major tributary of the Syr Darya, is Kyrgyzstan’s largest power facility, generating roughly 40% of the country’s electricity. It serves a dual function: providing domestic energy and regulating water flows that are essential for irrigation in downstream Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In winter, Kyrgyzstan often increases power output from Toktogul to meet heating demand, but this can significantly lower reservoir levels, jeopardizing irrigation supplies the following spring. The new agreement is intended to reduce this risk by enabling Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to supply electricity during peak winter months, allowing Kyrgyzstan to conserve water. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy emphasized that the trilateral deal is crucial to maintaining water levels in Toktogul and ensuring sufficient irrigation for southern Kazakhstan during the next growing season. Broader Regional Energy Cooperation Separately, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed an agreement for the supply of approximately 900 million kilowatt-hours of electricity between March and December 2026. The electricity is expected to cover anticipated shortages in Kazakhstan’s southern power grid and further underscores the growing interdependence of Central Asia’s energy and water systems.

Caspian Sea

Kazakhstan Initiates International Program to Save the Caspian Sea

The ongoing shallowing of the Caspian Sea is no longer a national issue, it is emerging as a significant international challenge. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that the crisis requires collective action and the adoption of an intergovernmental program. Since the early 2000s, the Caspian Sea’s water level has been steadily declining. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, by the summer of 2025, the sea had fallen below 29 meters relative to global sea level, marking a historic low. The northern basin, which borders Russia and Kazakhstan, is drying up particularly rapidly, due in large part to decreased flow from the Volga River. This is not the first time Kazakhstan has raised concerns about the Caspian Sea on the international stage. According to Tokayev, “the need to develop an intergovernmental program to preserve the Caspian Sea has matured.” The president believes that participation should extend beyond the five littoral states, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, to include other nations invested in the region’s environmental health. He recalled that during his visit to China in early September, he proposed the creation of a specialized international organization. “This is not only a problem for one country, but for a number of states,” Tokayev stressed in his annual address to the nation. At the same time, the president acknowledged that Kazakhstan faces its own internal water management challenges. Losses in some irrigation and water channels reach 50-60%, and resource accounting is still being carried out using outdated technologies. “As for the culture of conserving natural resources, especially water, we must admit that we have big problems here: as they say, the horse didn’t lie down,” Tokayev remarked. To address these issues, he proposed creating a unified digital platform for water resources, powered by artificial intelligence. This platform would enable accurate hydrogeological monitoring and the development of a national water balance. Tokayev said this system would provide the foundation for a long-term water policy and help attract investment into the sector. Tokayev also stressed that environmental safety should become part of Kazakhstan’s national ideology. He highlighted the ongoing Taza Kazakhstan (“Clean Kazakhstan”) initiative, which began in 2024. Under this project, approximately 860,000 hectares of land have been cleaned and over 4 million trees planted. “If such active work continues, Kazakhstan will become a truly green country, an inspiring example and a valuable legacy for future generations,” Tokayev said. He also called for the introduction of a unified standard for environmental education, from schools to universities.

Earthquake

Turkmenistan to Send Tents, Food, Other Aid to Afghanistan; Quake Toll Rises

Turkmenistan plans to send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan as the death toll from an earthquake there increased to more than 2,200, Afghanistan’s Taliban government said on Thursday. Rashid Muradov, Turkmenistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, said “urgent humanitarian assistance - including clothing, tents, medicine, and food - will soon be delivered” to Afghanistan, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on X. Muradov announced Turkmenistan’s aid plans in a telephone conversation with Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi, Afghanistan’s foreign minister. The Afghan minister thanked Muradov and “assured that the mentioned aid will be delivered to the needy people in a timely manner,” his office said. Some international donors have previously expressed concern that the Taliban diverts aid for its own purposes rather than delivering it to those most in need. The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction recently released a report that it said looked into how “the Taliban diverts U.S. aid dollars intended for needy Afghans and the culture of denial within the international aid community, which thwarts effective measures to mitigate that diversion.” A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck eastern areas in Afghanistan on Sunday, and rescue efforts have been hampered by a lack of infrastructure and mountainous terrain. Kunar was the hardest hit province, and parts of Nangarhar and Laghman provinces were also affected. The Afghan Red Crescent Society said on Thursday that at least 2,205 people died and 3,640 others were injured. “Many people are trapped under the rubble of destroyed homes and rescue efforts are ongoing,” the society said. Like Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan shares a border with Afghanistan and has said it is ready to help with quake relief. Central Asian countries have sent aid to Afghanistan in the past as they build ties with the Taliban and work on diversifying trade routes. Security concerns remain. Tajik border guards and Taliban fighters exchanged fire in an area along the Tajik-Afghan border on Aug. 24, though the two sides later met in an effort to reduce tensions.

Climate Change

Pamir Loses Its “Ice Shield”: Scientists Confirm End of Glacier Stability Anomaly

For years, the Pamir-Karakoram anomaly stood as a rare outlier in global climate trends: a region where glaciers remained relatively stable despite accelerating global warming. Now, new research from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) confirms that even these “last strongholds” have begun to lose mass at an alarming rate. Snow Deficit and Rising Heat Data collected from a climate monitoring station on the Kyzylsu glacier in the northwestern Pamirs, active from 1999 to 2023, reveals a sharp shift. According to an international research team led by Francesca Pelliccotti, the tipping point came in 2018, when a significant decline in snow cover and precipitation irreversibly altered the glaciers’ mass balance. Once past this "point of no return," glaciers began rapidly depleting their own reserves to compensate for the lack of new snowfall, a process accelerating their melt. Since 2018, the region has experienced a persistent snow deficit. Snow depth has fallen by approximately 40 cm, and annual precipitation has declined by 328 mm, about one-third of the historical average. Seasonal snow melts earlier, is less stable in spring, and is no longer sufficient to replenish glacier mass. July 2022 was the hottest month on record, and during this period, the Kyzylsu glacier recorded unprecedented mass loss, melting at a rate eight times faster than the 1999-2018 average. Scientists identify increasingly hot summers and a lack of precipitation as the primary causes. Even the intensified ice melt has not made up for reduced snowfall: water inflow into rivers dropped by roughly 189 mm in water equivalent. The contribution of glacial runoff to total river flow rose from 19% to 31%, but this increase was still insufficient to offset the overall decline in water volume. The situation is most severe at altitudes above 4,000 meters, where solid precipitation has declined sharply. Snow from avalanches, which previously helped sustain the glaciers, has dropped nearly threefold from 0.21 to 0.08 m per year. Implications for Central Asia Experts warn that this is not a localized issue. The Pamir and Karakoram glaciers feed the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, lifelines for millions across Central Asia. Diminishing glacial mass threatens freshwater availability, agriculture, hydropower generation, and overall socio-economic stability. “Due to the lack of accurate forecasts, we cannot yet say definitively whether the Pamir glaciers have passed the point of no return. However, since 2018, the processes have changed dramatically, and the reduction in precipitation has had a critical impact on their stability,” said ISTA researcher Achille Joubert. Data Gaps and New Monitoring Efforts Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, glacier monitoring in the region was largely suspended for nearly two decades. Systematic observations resumed only in 2021, when international researchers reinstalled instruments on the Kyzylsu glacier, one of the Vakhsh River’s primary sources. These new measurements confirmed a drastic drop in precipitation and snow thickness starting in 2018, with consistently unfavorable conditions persisting since. Compared to the late 1990s, spring and summer snow now melts much faster, and the "cold reserves"...