- One third of the glacier surface in Central Asian mountains has disappeared over last 100 years; shaking foundations of region’s ‘water towers’
- Without further adaptation measures, crop yields in Uzbekistan could plummet 20-50% by 2050
- Cross-sectoral dialogue and policies are key to fighting back
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 7 June 2017 – Climate change is eating away at water reserves in Central Asian mountains - pushing farmland and species uphill, a report issued today by UN Environment has found.
Natural disasters are meanwhile affecting people and economies with increased frequency - but decision-makers have a chance to act, proves the ‘Outlook on climate adaptation in the Central Asian mountains’.
Average annual temperatures have risen by 0.5 degrees Celsius in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan over the past 30 years. As a result, glaciers and snow are melting and changing ecosystem zones. These are especially sensitive in mountains, which make up more than 90% of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The rise in temperatures is denting agricultural production as farmers must go uphill to find land that has increased water supply. Juniper trees are now cultivated 500-700 metres higher than in the year 2000 in Turkmenistan for example.
Melting glaciers mean water supply expected to decline by a further 12% across the region by 2050, states the report. Without adaptation measures, crop yields in Uzbekistan could subsequently fall 20-50% by 2050 while population levels continue to rise.
Outdated irrigation methods and hydropower are meanwhile exacerbating the squeeze on water. Kyrgyzstan currently wastes 35-45% of the resource destined for crop irrigation, while rapid glacier melting creates an incentive for hydropower that diverts water away from farming.
The change in ecosystems has even forced the endangered snow leopard to move to higher altitudes. There, prey is scarce - putting the wild cat under additional pressure to survive.
Rainfall fluctuation resulting from climate change is furthermore driving increased floods and droughts. Kazakhstan experienced 300 floods between 1994 and 2013, while drought affected three million people in Tajikistan in 2000. Even malaria – which was almost eradicated in the Soviet Union in the 1950s – is making a comeback in Central Asia due to rising temperatures. The disease has recently become endemic in southern Tajikistan.
In response, priority areas for action must be identified, sufficient resources to fight the problem allocated and policies put in place and monitored. Coordination between existing institutional structures must be stepped-up, the Outlook underlines, while decisions on climate adaptation and mitigation cannot only fall under the remit of environmental protection agencies.
Provided there is coordination at local, national and regional levels, climate policy can contribute to sustainable development in Central Asia, the report states – and the fruits of this work can already be seen.
For example, thanks to a collaboration between the German Society for International Development (GIZ) and other local partners, local communities in the Vanj Valley of Tajikistan are fighting the effects of climate change by using drought-resistant crops, micro finance and annual planning.
Meanwhile, the opening of the Khan-Tengri National Park in Kyrgyzstan will increase the snow leopard’s habitat by 20%-48%. This will be done as part of a project run by the United Nations Development Programme and financed by the Global Environment Facility.
Note to editors
To read the full Outlook on climate adaptation in Central Asian mountains in Russian and for the Summary in English click here.
The publication is being launched today at the Central Asian Environmental Forum held in Ashgabat, 5-7 June during a side-event titled ‘Towards strengthened action on climate change adaptation in mountain regions of Central Asia’.
The Outlook was developed with the support of GRID-Arendal and the Regional Mountain Centre of Central Asia - a subsidiary body of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development. It is financially supported by the government of Austria.
A series on climate adaptation in mountain regions also covers the South Caucasus, Western Balkans, East Africa and Tropical Andes. Outlooks on the Carpathians and Hindukush Himalaya are also underway.
For more information, please contact:
Mark Grassi, Information Assistant, Europe Office, mark.grassi@unenvironment.org, +41 7887 50086
Natalia Alexeeva, Head of Central Asia Office, natalia.alexeeva@unenvironment.org
Larisa Semernya, Technical Expert, Vienna Office, larisa.semernya@un.org
