Central Asia takes the lead on glacier preservation

The influence of local weather change on Central Asia’s glaciers

In Central Asia, the state of affairs is changing into dire. “The consequences of global climate change are felt in each of our countries,” stated the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on the Sixth Central Asian Summit in August 2024. “Rising temperatures, melting glaciers, floods, droughts, dust storms and many other challenges continue to cause serious damage.”

According to a 2022 report by the Eurasian Development Bank, the area’s temperatures are growing virtually twice as quick as the worldwide common, growing desertification and hastening glacier soften.

“To date, more than 1000 of Tajikistan’s 14 000 glaciers have completely melted,” stated the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, on the first High-Level International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation, held in Dushanbe in May 2025. “Over the past few decades the total volume of glaciers in our country — which make up more than 60% of the water resources in the Central Asian region — has decreased by almost a third.”

Kyrgyzstan’s glaciers haven’t been spared both: the world lined by glaciers has decreased by 16% over the previous 50 to 70 years.

“If this trend continues, a significant part of the glaciers may disappear by the end of the century,” stated the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, on the twenty ninth United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP29) in 2024. “This is not just statistics, this is a direct threat to the lives and well-being of millions of people, who depend on glaciers as a source of fresh water.”