A seminar on climate risk assessment in transboundary river basins was held in Tashkent on April 15.
The event was organized by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) with the support of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change within the regional project "Climate Risk Management in Central Asia". The seminar was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Ecology, the Ministry of Water Management, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Agency of the Hydrometeorological Service, the National Climate Center, research centers, and non-governmental organizations.
"At today's seminar, together with foreign experts, attention was paid not only to studying climate risks but also to mitigating their negative consequences. In this regard, several measures have been developed based on the initial results. Our goal is to implement these measures not only in Uzbekistan but throughout Central Asia", said Xasan Boboev, Head of the Department of the Research Institute of Environment and Environmental Technologies at the Ministry of Ecology.
The event aims to establish cooperation to eliminate climate risks within selected transboundary basins and analyze the risks of climate change by facilitating an open dialogue and constructive exchange of views in developing a clear and consistent strategy.
"We work on three main components: we help with the assessment of climate risks, the implementation of pilot projects to reduce climate risks and also work with hydrometeorological services and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of 5 countries to improve the forecasting of emergencies and disasters related to water", said Sergey Makarov, head of the project "Climate Risk Management in Central Asia".
For information: Based on the assessments, climate change mitigation measures will be proposed and partially implemented for five transboundary river basins: Isfayramsay in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Shakhimardan in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Zaravshan in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Murghab in Turkmenistan and Chon Kemin/Chu River in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. The selection considered the size, the presence of water-related emergencies, and the access of hydrological and meteorological stations.
Based on the assessment of climate risks, practical measures are proposed to mitigate the negative effects of climate change. In addition to analytical materials on climate risks and recommendations, the study will train instructors to assess climate risks in each country.
Climate risk assessment is the process of analyzing the negative impact of climate change on people, the economy, and the environment. This process is carried out using various methods and tools that help to understand how climate change can affect people's lives and ecosystems.
The regional program "Climate Risk Management in Central Asia" is a project aimed at coordinating cooperation between the region's countries, and serves to share knowledge and experience, create a regional network for early warning of hydrological disasters, and assess climate risk.