The Central Asian region is increasingly feeling the effects of climate change due to water scarcity, land degradation and increased natural disasters. Youth from Central Asia and Afghanistan have prepared a statement on climate change and its consequences for our countries.

The document was officially presented at the Regional Conference of Youth and Children on Climate Change in Central Asia and Afghanistan (RCOY CA and Afghanistan 2024), which gathered more than 200 participants, including youth, children, national and regional leaders. In addition, important issues of global concern were also discussed by international partners with guests from Central Asian countries as well as Afghanistan, Canada, Mongolia, South Korea and India.

The Central Asian region is uniting

According to the International Monetary Fund, Central Asia is heating up twice as fast as the rest of the world. Over the past 30 years, the temperature has increased by 1.5 degrees Celsius. And this situation is already tangible in the glacier zone of our Central Asian region. Over the last 50-70 years, glaciation in Kyrgyzstan has decreased by 16%: the number of smaller glaciers has increased and the number of large glaciers has decreased. Plus the increase in temperature in the high mountain zone leads to the fact that more intensive melting of glaciers leads to the formation of glacial or moraine lakes, which then pose a threat of mudslides, which are more frequent in our country and cause serious damage to the infrastructure of the regions. The World Bank estimates that natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, mudslides, droughts, avalanches and extreme temperatures already affect about 3 million people annually and cost Central Asia $10 billion.

The situation is similar in neighboring countries. According to the UN, one of the key problems in Uzbekistan is worsening water shortages. Experts say that on the one hand, this situation is due to population growth and increased demand for food and energy.  On the other hand, it is a consequence of climate change. The report says that over the past 50-60 years, the size of glaciers in the Pskem River basin has decreased by 24%, the Surkhandarya River by 40% and the Kashkadarya by 70%.

Such large-scale and destructive floods, which Kazakhstan is facing in 2024, have not happened for the last 80 years. Water experts are inclined to believe that natural disasters are the consequences of climate change - a large amount of winter precipitation and warm March, which provoked a sharp melting of snow.

And that's why it's so important that the people of our countries join forces to combat the effects of climate change. And young people are the generation that is now experiencing these changes.

By the way, in Afghanistan too, climate change has led to a temperature increase of 1.8 degrees Celsius since 1950. This too has led to natural disasters and socio-economic problems. Although the country has minimal greenhouse gas emissions, droughts caused by climate change will have a strong impact on the country

In 2019, Kyrgyzstan ratified the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The ratifying countries commit to provide nationally determined contributions (NDCs). NDCs are national measures that contribute to achieving the goal of the Paris Agreement, namely limiting anthropogenic global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius. And by 2030, emissions must be cut almost in half and the rate of increase in global temperature must be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

A statement for global solutions

The main demands of youth, which they put forward at the conference, include involving their representation in decision-making, supporting educational programs on climate issues and supporting youth initiatives, active participation in water management and development of international agreements on transboundary water resources, involving youth in glacier monitoring, pasture management, development of ecotourism and adaptation to climate change, recognition and compensation of losses of vulnerable communities. As well as ensuring climate justice and empowering youth and women, involving women in decision-making, equal access to climate education and jobs, and developing health programs for women.

The statement of the youth of Central Asia and Afghanistan will be sent to the relevant government agencies, as well as decision makers, the document will be presented at the COY29 Youth Conference on Climate Change to be held in Baku in November this year.

“I am pleased to welcome all participants from Central Asian countries and Afghanistan. The most important topic for our country is mountains. We hope that you young people will include the theme of mountains and climate in your document. Today we are meeting at a time when the leaders of our neighboring countries are warmly and brotherly supporting each other, each of our countries is going through a period of great strengthening and growth. COP29 will be held in Baku soon, I hope that many youth participants from Kyrgyzstan will go there, we hope for you,” he said.

Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Technical Supervision Meder Mashiev also took part in the event.

“Climate change is a challenge facing not only our region, but the whole world. Our high altitude glaciers are melting, we are seeing more and more abnormal weather events, and the effects of climate change in the form of prolonged drought or devastating mudslides are taking a huge toll on our economies. We need to act quickly and decisively to minimize the damage and adapt to the new conditions,” Meder Mashiev stressed.

15 million children at risk of climate change

UNICEF Representative in KR Samman Thapa said that UNICEF's Climate Risk Index showed that nearly 15 million children in Central Asia are vulnerable to climate change.

“We must do everything to ensure that climate action in every country is based on the needs of children and youth, and that the realization of these rights is included in the long-term climate agenda,” he said.  

UNDP supports youth initiatives and promotes greater youth involvement in climate action across the region: youth climate change conferences in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, the development of LSGs and youth caravans.

“Youth rights and participation are not just a matter for the future. Already today, young people have knowledge and skills that are critical in developing and implementing innovative solutions,” said Alexandra Solovieva, UNDP Resident Representative in Kyrgyzstan.

She also said that humanity is facing a climate crisis, the scale and consequences of which may be unpredictable, and the solution to climate issues will determine whether our civilization will develop in a sustainable future. Children born in 2021 are predicted to experience seven times more heat waves, almost three times more droughts and twice as many forest fires compared to their grandparents.

Nurzat Abdyrasulova, President of Unison Group, emphasized that cities are becoming more vulnerable and poverty makes people even more susceptible to climate shocks, adaptation measures are urgently needed.

“Young people are not only activists, but also future professionals and leaders who will shape climate policy and manage key processes. Your role in global climate processes has already been recognized by the world community, and we have an important event ahead of us - the Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 29), which will be held for the first time in the post-Soviet space in Baku. This is a unique opportunity for our region to draw the attention of the world community to our climate challenges,” said Nurzat Abdyrasulova, President of Unison Group.

The Regional Conference of Youth of Central Asia and Afghanistan 2024 (RCOY CA and Afghanistan 2024) is a key event aimed at raising awareness and involvement of youth in climate change and sustainable development actions. The conference provides a platform to discuss climate challenges and develop effective solutions, promoting active youth participation in shaping climate policy.

Youth activists noted that it is their generation that is already directly confronted with climate change issues and their actions will determine how this situation will be addressed in the future.

Samar Kanatov, representing our country, said that in the summer interviews were conducted with youth from other Central Asian countries and they shared what problems they are already facing - lack of water, heat, garbage recycling and others.

“None of us, residents of the region, are immune to these challenges. We learned about the projects that our peers are already running in different countries, despite multiple crises, young leaders are addressing the problems of the community, people, ecosystems. Full participation of young people is an important step towards achieving climate justice, and young people today, not tomorrow, should take practical action,” said Samar Kanatov.

Kazakhstani Alimkhan Bagdatuly noted that our Central Asian region is experiencing an increase in average annual temperature faster than many countries and regions of the world. This leads to many problems such as melting glaciers desertification, dust storms.

“Unfortunately, our region has not yet fully learned to adapt to these challenges, but I am convinced that the youth of our region have the full potential to meet these challenges. Thanks to our cultural similarities, linguistic unity and excellent mutual understanding. Each of us is doing our part to protect nature and fight climate change. Our work bears fruit, but the results are often only seen after many years. Nevertheless, we continue to move forward. Our task today is not to miss this potential, it is important for us to quickly establish connections and start solving environmental and climate problems,” concluded Alimkhan Bagdatuly.