The recent report of the Intergovernmental  Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2022) presents  a troubling picture and warns of more severe  impacts of climate change if we fail to cut our  emissions by half by 2030. The three countries in  the Central Asian region – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan  and Uzbekistan – are emblematic of the risk. With  the apparent increase in the physical risks linked to  climate change in the region, the need to act has  never been more urgent.

Despite being endowed with rich natural  resources, the three countries have wrestled with  energy security. The over-reliance of Kyrgyzstan  and Tajikistan on hydropower makes them  vulnerable to variations in precipitation and  climate change. For Uzbekistan, an undiversified  energy mix is a major concern, given its  international commitments to reduce emissions. 

All three countries are experiencing the effects  of climate change in the form of low water levels  and climate-related hazards such as droughts. The  progressive depletion of water and hydrocarbon  reserves (and growing populations and expanding  economies) makes it crucial for these countries  to increase their share of non-conventional  renewable energy (RE) sources (such as solar,  wind and small hydropower) in the energy mix and  to transition to such sources.