Climate Diplomacy in Central Asia: Context, Challenges, and Opportunities
Authors
-
Azel Altynbekova
L.N. Gumyliov Eurasian National University, Kazakhstan
Author
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7837-3694
-
Dana Akhmedyanova
L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Kazakhstan
Author
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0233-8542
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52536/3006-807X.2025-3.003Keywords:
Central Asia, climate change, regional cooperation, international institutionsAbstract
Central Asia is a region that is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which adversely affects the lives of its inhabitants. Since 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has expressed concerns about the need to promote regional cooperation and enhance climate resilience to address current challenges and adapt to future climate risks.
The governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are developing national legislation and strategies focused on climate issues. They engage in both regional and international cooperation through summits, ministerial meetings, and participation in projects funded by third parties. This article provides a content analysis of these efforts.
Using SWOT analysis, the research findings highlight the current state of regional climate diplomacy, the measures being taken, and the challenges posed by the region’s reliance on fossil fuels. It also points out the lack of sufficient research within the regional academic community. However, there are opportunities for improvement, as well as potential negative consequences if necessary measures are not implemented promptly.
The ability of the region’s states to turn their plans into actionable steps, in consultation with the expert community, is essential for creating a more prosperous and secure future. Consequently, the article emphasizes the need for a more coordinated approach among the Central Asian Republics and further development of regional climate diplomacy.
References
Aben, D. (2019). Regional security in Central Asia: addressing existing and potential threats and challenges. Eurasian Research Journal, 1(1), 61. https://erj.eurasian-research.org/shw_artcl-13.html
Adelphi, German Federal Foreign Office. (n.d.). Livelihood conflicts in the Ferghana Valley. https://climate-diplomacy.org/case-studies/livelihood-conflicts-ferghana-valley
Adіlet, Informatsionno-pravovaya sistema normativnykh pravovykh aktov Respubliki Kazakhstan. (2023). Ob utverzhdenii Strategii dostizheniya uglerodnoi neitral'nosti Respubliki Kazakhstan do 2060 goda. [in Russian, On Approval of the Strategy for Achieving Carbon Neutrality in the Republic of Kazakhstan by 2060]. https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/U2300000121
Adilet, Legal information system of Regulatory Legal Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan. (2021). Ecological Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. https://adilet.zan.kz/eng/docs/K2100000400
Adylbekova, K. (2023). Central Asia’s Progress at COP 28: Paris Agreement and Climate Policy Review. Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting. https://cabar.asia/ru/tsentralnaya-aziya-na-cop28-obzor-regionalnoj-klimaticheskoj-politiki
Akorda. (2012). Address by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Leader of the Nation, N. Nazarbayev: “Strategy Kazakhstan-2050”: New political course of the established state. https://www.akorda.kz/en/addresses/addresses_of_president/address-by-the-president-of-the-republic-of-kazakhstan-leader-of-the-nation-nnazarbayev-strategy-kazakhstan-2050-new-political-course-of-the-established-state
Akunova, G. (2021). Osobennosti vodnoi diplomatii v Tsentral'noi Azii [in Russian, Features of water diplomacy in Central Asia]. Problemy postsovetskogo prostranstva. 8(2). 231–233. https://doi. org/10.24975/2313-8920-2021-8-2-229-241
Alparslan, U. (2024). Green energy corridors for Central Asia and the Caucasus. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/green-energy-corridors-for-central-asia-and-the-caucasus/
Asakawa, M. (2024). COP29 session on the CAREC Partnership for Climate, Innovation, and Trade. Asian Development Bank. https://www.adb.org/news/speeches/cop29-carec-partnership-climate-innovation-trade-masatsugu-asakawa
Asian Development Bank. (2022). By the Numbers: Climate Change in Central Asia. https://www.adb.org/ru/news/features/numbers-climate-change-central-asia https://www.adb.org/news/features/numbers-climate-change-central-asia
Asian Development Bank. (2023a). ADB to Help Digitalize Uzbekistan’s Power Distribution System. https://www.adb.org/news/adb-help-digitalize-uzbekistans-power-distribution-system
Asian Development Bank. (2023b). CAREC 2030: supporting regional actions to address climate change a scoping study, 49–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/SPR230126-2
Asian Development Bank. (2023c). Update on ADB’s Energy Transition Mechanism. https://www.adb.org/news/features/update-energy-transition-mechanism-april-2023
Blumstein, S., & Pohl, B. (2018). The costs of limited water cooperation in Central Asia loom large. Climate Diplomacy Platform. https://climate-diplomacy.org/magazine/cooperation/costs-limited-water-cooperation-central-asia-loom-large
Botta, E., Griffiths, M., & Kato, T. (2022). Benefits of regional co-operation on the energy-water-land use NEXUS transformation in Central Asia. OECD Green Growth Papers.
Bremberg, N., & Michalski, A. (2024). The European Union Climate Diplomacy: Evolving Practices in a Changing Geopolitical Context. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, 19(3), 506-535. https://doi.org/10.1163/1871191x-bja10188
Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program. (2025). Ongoing projects in Central Asia. https://carececo.org/en/main/activity/projects/index.php?activity=finished
Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program. (2024). Climate change action plan, 2025-2027. https://www.carecprogram.org/uploads/CAREC-Climate-Change-Action-Plan-2025-2027-Final-MC-2024-Document-ENG.pdf
Climate Diplomacy Platform. (n.d.). What is climate diplomacy? https://climate-diplomacy.org/what-climate-diplomacy
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. (2023). Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for Central Asia. https://greencentralasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/strategy-eng.pdf
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. (2024). Green Central Asia II: Transboundary dialogue on Climate, Environment and Security in Central Asia - Bridging borders to enhance regional adaptation and mitigation. https://greencentralasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GCA-II-_Factsheet_fin.pdf
Development Strategy Center. (2022). Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026. https://uzembassy.kz/upload/userfiles/files/Development%20Strategy%20of%20Uzbekistan.pdf
Diez, T., & Wiener, A. (2018). Introducing the Mosaic of Integration Theory. Kolleg-Forschergruppe (KFG) “The Transformative Power of Europe“, Freie Universität Berlin. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330494744_European_Integration_Theory
Eurasian Development Bank. (2022). The Economy of Central Asia: A Fresh Perspective. https://eabr.org/upload/iblock/1fe/EDB_2022_Report-3_The-Economy-of-CA_eng.pdf
European Union External Action. (2025). Partnering for a Sustainable Future: EU-Central Asia Cooperation on Water, Energy, Climate, and Digitalisation. https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/partnering-sustainable-future-eu-central-asia-cooperation-water-energy-climate-and-digitalisation_en
Gabdulhakov, R., Antonov, O., & Kyzy, E. (2023). The Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan border conflict: social media discourses and lived experiences. The OXUS Society for Central Asian affairs. https://oxussociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Taj-Kyg-Border-.pdf
Global Water Partnership. (2014). Integrated water resources management in Central Asia: The challenges of managing large transboundary rivers. https://www.gwp.org/globalassets/global/toolbox/publications/technical-focus-papers/05-integrated-water-resources-management-in-central-asia.pdf
Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. (2016). National Development Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan for the period up to 2030. https://web.ttu.tj/uploads/strategiya_2030_en.pdf
Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. (2021). The Updated NDC of the Republic of Tajikistan. https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/NDC/2022-06/NDC_TAJIKISTAN_ENG.pdf
Government of Turkmenistan. (2022). Nationally Determined Contribution of Turkmenistan under the Paris Agreement. https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/NDC/2023-01/NDC_Turkmenistan_12-05-2022_approv.%20by%20Decree_Eng.pdf
Halyk Research. (2023). Obzor razvitiya sel'skogo khozyaistva v Kazakhstane. [in Russian, Overview of agricultural development in Kazakhstan]. https://halykfinance.kz/download/files/analytics/AC_agriculture_development.pdf
Idrisov, T. (2023). Climate Change and Water Resources in Central Asia: Growing Uncertainty. Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting. https://cabar.asia/en/climate-change-and-water-resources-in-central-asia-growing-uncertainty
IPCC. (2018). Global Warming of 1.5°C. https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/SR15_Full_Report_High_Res.pdf
IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. (2022). Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/
Keohane, R., & Martin, L. (1995). The Promise of Institutionalist Theory. International Security, 20(1), 39–51. https://doi.org/10.2307/2539214
Krasnai, M. (2021). Voda kak dvizhushchaya sila ustoichivogo vosstanovleniya: dorozhnaya karta dlya Tsentral'noi Azii. Chast' II. Perekhod ot konkurentsii za resursy k strategicheskomu sotrudnichestvu: razrabotka ehkonomicheskoi struktury dlya sovmestnogo upravleniya regional'nymi vodnymi resursami. [in Russian, Water as a driver of sustainable recovery: a road map for Central Asia. Part II. Replacing resource competition with strategic cooperation: developing an economic framework for the joint management of regional water resources]. Kazakhstan-Spektr, 99(3), 99–104. https://doi.org/10.52536/2415-8216.2021-3.07
Mosello, B., Foong, A., Viehoff, A., & Rüttinge, L. (2023). Regional consultation on climate change and security in Central Asia. Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, 15-34. https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/c/7/546653.pdf
Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan. (2023). Kazakhstan First NDC (Updated submission). https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/NDC/2023-06/12updated%20NDC%20KAZ_Gov%20Decree313_19042023_en_cover%20page.pdf
Ministry of Ecology, environmental protection and climate change of the Republic of Uzbekistan. (2024). Declaration on Cooperation between Central and West Asia in the field of climate change was signed. https://gov.uz/en/eco/news/view/27451
Muratbekova, A. (2024). Key Insights from the Sixth Consultative Meeting in Astana. Eurasian Research Institute. https://www.eurasian-research.org/publication/key-insights-from-the-sixth-consultative-meeting-in-astana/
Our World in Data. (2024). Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO2 emissions, 1990 to 2020. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-ghg-co2-including-land-use?tab=table&time=earliest..latest&showSelectionOnlyInTable=1&country=KAZ~KGZ~TKM~UZB~TJK
Sabyrbekov, R., Overland, I., & Vakulchuk, R. (2023). Climate change in Central Asia. OSCE Academy in Bishkek, 4-54. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29831-8
The Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia. (2023). COP 28: results and lessons for Central Asia. https://www.carececo.org/en/main/news/ks-28-itogi-i-uroki-dlya-tsentralnoy-azii/
Tolipov, F. (2024). One Step Forward, Half a Step Back: The Sixth Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Leaders. Central Asia – Caucasus Institute. https://www.cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/13820-one-step-forward-half-a-step-back-the-sixth-consultative-meeting-of-central-asian-leaders.html
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2021a). The Kyrgyz Republic: Updated Nationally Determined Contribution. https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/NDC/2022-06/%D0%9E%D0%9D%D0%A3%D0%92%20ENG%20%D0%BE%D1%82%2008102021.pdf
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2021b). Updated Nationally Determined Contribution of the Republic of Uzbekistan. https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/NDC/2022-06/Uzbekistan_Updated%20NDC_2021_EN.pdf
U.S. Mission Kazakhstan. (2023). C5+1 Leaders’ Joint Statement. https://kz.usembassy.gov/c51-leaders-joint-statement/
von Uexkull, N., & Buhaug, H. (2021). Security implications of climate change: A decade of scientific progress. Journal of Peace Research, 58(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343320984210
World Bank Group. (2023). Country Climate and Development Report: Uzbekistan. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099111423124532881/pdf/P1790680f452f10ba0a34c06922a1df0003.pdf
World Economic Forum. (2024). The Global Risks Report. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Global_Risks_Report_2024.pdf
Ziganshina, D., Sorokin, A., Muminov Sh., Shamsiev Kh. (2023). Rethinking Institutional and Financial Mechanisms on Water and Energy Cooperation in Central Asia: Discussion paper. Expert Platform on Water Security, Sustainable Development, and Future Studies, 7-10. https://www.cawater-info.net/expert-platform/pdf/watfin-en.pdf
Zhang, J., Zou, X., & Muhkia, A. (2023). Reconsidering India’s climate diplomacy and domestic preferences with a two-level approach. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 15 (5): 671–689. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-07-2022-0088
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Altynbekova A., Akhmedyanova D.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
Open content is licensed under the CC-BY 
