Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov said that the Republic is the most vulnerable to climate change in the Central Asian area.
The President emphasized during the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) meeting in Baku that centuries-old glaciers in the Tien Shan are irrevocably melting and vanishing every year.
“We are progressively suffering major problems with water shortages for people and agriculture; the hydropower industry is experiencing challenges; and weather and climatic conditions are moving toward an increase in the average annual temperature in summer and winter,” Japarov said.
“Kyrgyzstan is actively working on the sensible use of water and energy resources, as well as the development of energy savings.” According to Japarov,
“We have about half of the region’s water resources, and while our hydropower potential is projected to be 142.5 billion kWh per year, we are now only exploiting 13% of this potential,” he added.
“According to World Bank estimates, hydrological cycle analysis and forecasting, the introduction of contemporary and digital technologies and water-saving systems, and the development of renewable energy sources are vitally crucial for successful water resource management,” the Kyrgyz President said.
“Today, we’ve all realized that the transition to a green economy, adaptation to climate change, and sustainable use of water and natural resources are driven not just by global trends but also by critical need,” he stated.
According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “the green economy is the economy of the future.”