The environmental agenda in Central Asia: key results of joint efforts
Central Asia is increasingly facing the effects of climate change and is among the most vulnerable regions in the world. Over the past 70 years, the temperature in CA has increased by 1.5-2 degrees Celsius, which has influenced the aggravation of environmental problems, the acceleration of glacier melting and desertification. All these processes are interconnected and negatively affect the ecosystems, economy and life of the people of the region.
Globally, the rate of ice melting due to climate change has increased by 65% in recent years: in the early 90s, the planet lost 0.8 trillion. tons of ice per year, and in the 2000s already 1.3 trillion. tons. For the Central Asian region, this environmental challenge is among the most important climate challenges of our time.
In Central Asia, there is an increasing shortage of water resources. Already today, more than 37 million people live in areas with an acute shortage of water resources, mainly associated with a decrease in water supply, as well as an insufficient level of development of the corresponding infrastructure.
According to the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), in 2025-2030. the total investment required for the countries of the region in water and climate infrastructure is about $29.2 billion.
The situation is complicated by the state of the Aral Sea - about 15-75 million tons of sand, dust and salt are carried from the dried bottom of the Aral Sea annually by winds, which worsens air quality at considerable distances and leads to direct socio-economic losses.
That is why in recent years environmental issues have become an increasing priority on the regional agenda of Central Asia. Problems with water resources, land degradation, climate change, the state of the Aral Sea are now considered by the countries of the region not separately, but in the context of general issues of sustainable socio-economic development.
Thanks to the political will of the leaders of the countries of Central Asia, multilateral cooperation in the environmental sphere has become more systemic and substantive.
Strengthening the institutional framework for regional interaction played a key role in this. Along with the existing mechanisms of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea and its structures, environmental issues began to be more consistently consolidated in the framework of consultative meetings of the heads of state of the region, as well as a specialized interdepartmental and expert dialogue.
It should be noted, among other things, the activation of the countries of the region at international climate sites. In particular, at the conferences of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the countries of Central Asia began to speak under the slogan "5 countries -1 region - 1 vote," presenting both national priorities and common regional approaches to climate issues.
All Central Asian countries presented their nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement and set ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, expand green energy capacity, and strengthen adaptation capacity.
It is significant that Kazakhstan has fixed the course towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, Uzbekistan has raised the target for reducing specific GHG emissions per unit of GDP by 50% by 2035 compared to 2010. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan also reaffirm their commitment to global climate goals and are constantly updating their contributions towards increasing their ambition.
Notable results have been achieved, including in matters of adaptation to the consequences of the Aral crisis. In particular, 1.7 million hectares of forest plantations have been created on the drained bottom of the Aral Sea on the side of Uzbekistan over the past 5 years, on the side of Kazakhstan, forest reclamation work has been carried out on an area of more than 1 million hectares.
One of the most significant results of regional cooperation was the improvement of the situation in Northern Aral. Due to the coordination of the operating modes of reservoirs on the Syr Darya River and the implementation of interstate agreements over the past three years, more than 6 billion cubic meters have entered the sea. m of water. As a result, the volume of the Northern Aral Sea increased from 18.9 billion cubic meters. m at the end of 2022 to 23 billion cubic meters. m at the end of 2025
Regional cooperation is also expanding in the field of knowledge exchange and scientific environmental expertise. One of the fruits of this interaction was the creation of the Central Asian University for the Study of the Environment and Climate Change in Uzbekistan, which has become a new platform in the region for training personnel and developing joint research in this direction.
Thus, regional environmental interaction in Central Asia is gradually becoming applied. The countries have already achieved significant results in the formation of a common international position, the development of coordination mechanisms, the implementation of measures to restore the ecosystems of the Aral Sea region and the creation of a scientific and educational base.
At the same time, the scale of environmental challenges in the region still requires deepening coordination. Among the priorities are the development of more harmonized approaches to the management of transboundary water resources, the expansion of climate adaptation measures, the mobilization of long-term investments in water and environmental infrastructure, as well as the strengthening of a common expert and analytical base.
The effectiveness of the entire environmental agenda of Central Asia in the coming years will depend on how consistently the countries of the region can translate the achieved level of political interaction into sustainable joint mechanisms.
The upcoming large-scale event for the Regional Environmental Summit in Astana in April this year will be another step towards achieving the common climate goal. Developing new and practical solutions to mitigate climate and environmental challenges will contribute not only to increasing the contribution of CA countries to the global climate agenda, but also to solving regional tasks to ensure the sustainability of ecosystems, reduce air pollution, sustainable management of natural resources, and, as a priority, management of water and energy resources.
Elvira Bikeeva,
IMRI Project Manager
Malika Saparmuhametova,
IMRI Lead Specialist