Environmental Agenda in Central Asia: Key Results of Joint Efforts
Globally, the rate of ice melt due to climate change has increased by 65% in recent years: in the early 1990s, the planet was losing 0.8 trillion tons of ice per year, and in the 2000s, it was 1.3 trillion tons. For the Central Asian region, this environmental problem is among the most pressing climate challenges of our time.
Central Asia is experiencing a growing shortage of water resources. Today, more than 37 million people live in areas with severe water shortages, primarily due to declining water availability and inadequate infrastructure.
According to estimates by the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), the total investment required in water and climate infrastructure by countries in the region between 2025 and 2030 is approximately $29.2 billion.
The situation is further complicated by the condition of the Aral Sea region: winds blow approximately 15-75 million tons of sand, dust, and salt from the dried-up Aral Sea bed annually, degrading air quality over significant distances and leading to direct socioeconomic losses.
This is why environmental issues have become an increasingly important priority on the regional agenda in Central Asia in recent years. Water resource issues, land degradation, climate change, and the state of the Aral Sea region are now being considered by countries in the region not in isolation, but in the context of overall issues of sustainable socioeconomic development. Thanks to the political will of Central Asian leaders, multilateral environmental cooperation has become more systematic and focused.
The strengthening of the institutional framework for regional cooperation 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 have become more consistently addressed through consultative meetings of the region's heads of state, as well as through relevant interagency and expert dialogue.
It is also worth noting the increased involvement of the region's countries
in international climate forums. Specifically, at conferences of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Central Asian countries began to advocate under the slogan "5 countries - 1 region - 1 vote," presenting both national priorities
and common regional approaches to climate issues.
All Central Asian countries have submitted their nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement and set ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, expand green energy capacity, and strengthen adaptive capacity.
Significantly, Kazakhstan has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, while Uzbekistan has increased its target for reducing 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 regularly updating their contributions to increase their ambition.
Notable results have been achieved, including in adapting to the consequences of the Aral Sea crisis. Specifically, 1.7 million hectares of forests have been created on the dried bed of the Aral Sea on the Uzbek side over the past five years, while reforestation work has been carried out on an area of over 1 million hectares on the Kazakh side.
One of the most significant results of regional cooperation has been the improvement in the situation in the Northern Aral Sea. Thanks to the coordination of reservoir operating regimes on the Syr Darya River and the implementation of interstate agreements, over the past three years, more than 6 billion cubic meters of water have entered the sea. As a result, the volume of the Northern Aral Sea increased from 18.9 billion cubic meters at the end of 2022 to
23 billion cubic meters at the end of 2025.
Regional cooperation in the areas of knowledge exchange and scientific environmental assessment is also expanding. One of the fruits of this cooperation was the establishment of the Central Asian University for Environment and Climate Change in Uzbekistan, which has become a new platform for the region to train personnel and develop joint research in this area.
Thus, regional environmental cooperation in Central Asia is gradually acquiring a practical nature. Countries have already achieved significant results in shaping a common international position, developing coordination mechanisms, implementing measures to restore the Aral Sea region's ecosystems, and creating a scientific and educational base.
At the same time, the scale of environmental challenges in the region continues to require deeper coordination. Priority tasks remain The development of more coordinated approaches to transboundary water resource management, the expansion of climate adaptation measures, the mobilization of long-term investments in water and environmental infrastructure, and the strengthening of a common expert and analytical base are key.
The effectiveness of the entire environmental agenda in 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, the Regional Environmental Summit, in Astana in April of this year, will be another step towards achieving a common climate goal. The development of new and practical solutions to address climate and environmental challenges will not only enhance the contribution of Central Asian countries to the global climate agenda, but also address regional challenges such as ensuring ecosystem resilience, reducing air pollution, sustainable natural resource management, and, most importantly, water and energy resource management.
Elvira Bikeyeva,
IMRI Project Manager
Malika Saparmukhametova,
IMRI Leading Specialist
