Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The President of Uzbekistan made an address  to the Oliy Majlis. During his speech, Shavkat Mirziyoyev summed up the socio-economic development of the country, and also outlined the most important tasks for 2023 aimed at continuing reforms in New Uzbekistan.

The peculiarity of the current Address was that the President of Uzbekistan paid special attention to the issues of mitigation and adaptation to the negative consequences of global climate change. In particular, the Head of State noted that at present the problems of ecology, especially water resources, are becoming global.

It is not without reason that the issues of responding to climate change have taken an important place in the Address. Currently, Central Asia is increasingly experiencing the effects of global climate change. At the same time, the region is warming faster than in other parts of the world. According to the IMF, over the past 30 years, the temperature in the region has risen by 1.5 degrees, which is 2 times more than the world indicators (0.7 degrees). At the same time, according to forecasts, until 2050 the temperature may increase by another 1.5°-3°C.

This development of climate processes can aggravate the already difficult situation in the field of environmental, water, food, energy and economic security.

Over the past 50-60 years, the area of glaciers in Central Asia has decreased by about 30%. Until 2050, water resources are expected to decrease in the Syrdarya basin - up to 5%, in the Amudarya basin - up to 15%. This may exacerbate water use problems in the region.

Already, the Central Asian states are among the 30 countries that most acutely feel the power of water stress. In the region, the pressure on water resources significantly exceeds the world average and reaches 80%.

The irrational use of water resources remains a serious problem. According to experts, 33 billion cubic meters are annually spent on the agricultural sector in the region, of which almost 50% do not reach the fields due to the deterioration of irrigation facilities and extensive agriculture. The water use efficiency indicator in the CA states (2.5 USD/m3) is 8 times lower than the world average value (19.01 USD/m3).

As a result, by 2040, water availability per person in the region may decrease by 25%. Already today in Uzbekistan, the total water deficit exceeds more than 3 billion cubic meters. m. At the same time, this figure by 2050 may increase five times to 15 billion cubic meters.

Land degradation is accelerating, affecting biodiversity and food security. According to the UN, about 37% of the land in Central Asia is currently degraded. Over the past 50 years, another 15-20% of the land in the Central Asian countries has undergone the process of desertification. With further deterioration of the state of land, a reduction in crop yields by 20-40% is expected, which, in the context of population growth, can cause a food crisis.

Another negative consequence of climate change is an increase in the frequency of natural disasters. According to the World Bank, over the past 30 years, the region has been exposed 140 times to the dangerous effects of various events that have affected more than 10 million people. The annual damage from natural disasters in Central Asia is estimated at US$10 billion. By 2050, due to the impact of climate change, GDP growth in Central Asia will decrease by 11%. Taking into account the above factors, during the Address, Shavkat Mirziyoyev focused on the need to solve environmental problems, emphasizing that the priority is not only taking care of today, but also maintaining a clean environment for the younger generation.

The President spoke in favor of strengthening the requirements for the protection of natural resources, including water bodies and subsoil in the country’s fundamental law. Of course, in this way the inalienable human right to a healthy, clean and sustainable environment will be ensured.

As the Head of State emphasized, respect for nature, preservation of the purity of water, air and the environment should become a real concern for the residents of each mahalla. In this regard, he called for intensifying efforts in the field of ecology and environmental protection.

An important contribution in this direction will be the implementation of the nationwide Yashil Makon project, initiated by Shavkat Mirziyoyev in 2021. It provides for an increase in green areas and parks from 8% to 30% by 2026. Within the framework of the project, 58 million seedlings were planted in 2021 trees and shrubs, in 2022 - 125 million

In the future, it is planned to increase this figure to 200 million seedlings annually.

It should be emphasized that consistent work in this direction has made it possible to significantly increase the territories occupied by forests and shrubs. So, recently the volume of forest plantations has increased by 10-15 times. If before 2018 the annual volume of forest creation was in the range of 47-52 thousand hectares, in 2019 this figure increased to 517 thousand hectares, in 2020 - up to 728 thousand hectares.

Speaking about the negative effects of climate change on agriculture, Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated that over the past 15 years, the total amount of precipitation has decreased by 25%. The duration of abnormally hot days in summer has increased. The situation is also aggravated by the inefficient use of water for irrigation.

In this regard, the President proposed to radically reform the water management system of Uzbekistan through the introduction of a transparent water accounting system and modern technologies. The digitalization of 13 thousand water facilities is envisaged, as well as the modernization and switching of 16 large pumping stations to alternative energy sources.

These initiatives are a logical continuation of the already implemented systemic measures to improve the efficiency of agriculture.

In particular, in Uzbekistan, the introduction of water-saving technologies is proceeding at an active pace. In 2021 alone, they were introduced on an area of 433 thousand hectares, the total indicator of their implementation amounted to 17% of irrigated areas. By 2025, it is planned to bring them up to 1 million hectares, by 2030 - up to 2 million hectares.

The measures proposed by the Head of State are a logical continuation of systemic measures to adapt and mitigate the consequences of climate change. In recent years, a fundamental transformation of environmental policy has been carried out in the country, taking into account the above-mentioned realities.

Concepts were adopted for environmental protection until 2030, for the development of water management for 2020-2030, strategies for the transition to a "green" economy for the period 2019-2030, for the management of solid household waste for the period 2019-2028, conservation of biological diversity in Uzbekistan until 2028. Work is underway to develop national strategies for the decarbonization of the economy until 2050, the development of renewable and hydrogen energy.

At the same time, it is clear that no country alone can cope with the challenges and threats that we face as a result of global warming.

Based on this, Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed to intensify cooperation with neighboring countries in matters of rational use of water resources. The leader of the country called for the implementation, together with the current Afghan government, of a project to build a new canal in the Amu Darya basin based on international standards and taking into account the interests of all countries in the region.

It should be noted that recently work in this direction has been consistently carried out. A working group has been created to develop proposals in all areas of water relations between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. An agreement was reached on the preparation of an Interdepartmental Agreement with Kyrgyzstan on the establishment of a joint bilateral water management commission to reach consensus on issues of the water and energy sector. Interaction with Turkmenistan is developing fruitfully within the framework of a trilateral working group with the participation of the Amudarya basin water management organization.

Moreover, within the framework of international organizations, in particular the UN, SCO, CIS, OTS, Uzbekistan comes up with initiatives aimed at increasing the effectiveness of cooperation in overcoming the negative effects of climate change and transitioning to a “green economy”.

A great achievement in this direction was the adoption at the IV Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia (on 21 July 2022) of the Regional Green Agenda Program for Central Asia initiated by Uzbekistan. The implementation of this document will make it possible to develop joint approaches to the efficient use of resources, including in such areas as the decarbonization of the economy, the rational use of water resources, the introduction of energy-efficient technologies into the economy, and an increase in the share of renewable energy generation.

At the same time, the countries of the region need to develop consolidated approaches to solve emerging problems. It is important to develop and adopt comprehensive documents governing our efforts in responding to climate change.

The first step in this direction will be the adoption of the UN Regional Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, which will allow consolidating the efforts of the Central Asian countries to develop common approaches and standards in mitigating the effects of climate change.

In general, the issues of adaptation and mitigation of the negative effects of climate change have taken one of the central places in the annual Message of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Parliament. This demonstrates the firm commitment of our country to contribute to the solution of these global issues. The initiatives and proposals made during the Address will undoubtedly contribute to sustainable economic growth and improve the well-being of the population of Uzbekistan.

Javokhir Badalov, 

Leading Researcher, 

Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan