Tajik President: Accelerated Melting of Glaciers Threatening Central Asia’s Water Resources

Over the past few decades, more than a thousand of Tajikistan’s 13,000 glaciers have completely melted—a threatening trend given that Tajikistan's glaciers are the main source of up to 60% of Central Asia’s water resources. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon announced this on August 17 at the third Voice of Global South Summit, which was held virtually under the chairmanship of Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. In his speech, Rahmon said that Tajikistan's initiative to declare 2025 the International Year of Glacier Preservation has received the full support of the international community. According to a UN General Assembly resolution, March 21 will be celebrated annually as World Glaciers’ Day from next year. Based on this resolution, in 2025, Tajikistan will host the International High-Level Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation. President Rahmon continued that with 93% of its territory covered by mountains, Tajikistan is considered one of the most vulnerable countries of the Global South in terms of adverse climate change impacts. Every year, the country faces floods, landslides, avalanches, and other natural disasters that cause great material damage, and, in many cases, human casualties. Earlier this month TCA reported that the head of Tajikistan’s committee for emergency situations and civil defense, Rustam Nazarzada, said at a press conference that the economic damage caused by natural disasters in the country this year has amounted to over $12 million. The government of Tajikistan is therefore implementing a National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change until 2030, with the goal of reducing the negative impacts of climate change on the country's social and economic spheres. Regarding green energy production, Rahmon stated that Tajikistan currently produces 98% of its electricity from hydropower. “We have decided to increase this figure to 100% by 2032, that is, to produce electricity entirely from green energy resources, and to turn Tajikistan into a ‘green country’ by 2037,” the Tajik leader stated.

Almaty Hosts Conference on Tackling Climate Change in Central Asia

On 27 May, delegations from Central Asian countries and international experts convened in Almaty, Kazakhstan to discuss pressing issues of sustainable water and land management, energy, food security, and environmental sustainability in the context of climate change in the region. Held annually, the Central Asia Climate Change Conference provides a platform to advance regional cooperation in addressing the impact of climate change and transboundary climate risks. This year’s event, CACCC-2024, attracted over 400 participants, including policy and decision makers from Central Asian countries, international development partners, and representatives from civil societies, the private sector, and academia. Addressing the delegates, Zafar Makhmudov, Executive Director of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) announced: “Central Asia is vulnerable to the adverse effects of a rapidly changing climate, given its agricultural economy, aging infrastructure, and rapid population growth. The need to improve regional cooperation in energy and water resources management alongside approaches to adaptation to climate change is obvious. The conference aims to strengthen this cooperation to increase the region's resilience.” Regarding funding, Tatiana Proskuryakova, World Bank Regional Director for Central Asia, stated, “Climate change is an urgent challenge, and the countries of Central Asia can only address it if they work together. This means tackling a broad set of issues simultaneously, from adopting and implementing green policies to deploying green financing and investing in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and natural resource management. We will continue working hand in hand with our government counterparts, sharing our analysis and advice, but also providing finance for priority investment projects for the benefit of people in Central Asia.” On an encouraging note, Dr. Caroline Milow, Programme Manager for the Green Central Asia Initiative, GIZ added: “With the adoption of the Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, Central Asia is one step ahead of many other regions in the world. It helps further cooperation and coordination to strengthen adaptation and mitigation to climate change, which is ever more felt in the region. I am positive that these joint efforts among the countries will bear fruit for the entire population of the Aral Sea Basin.”