Climate change is one of the most important aspects of global problems and poses new challenges to humanity, the rational solution of which largely depends on the joint efforts of all countries worldwide. One of the consequences of climate change is the rapid melting of glaciers, which requires targeted and specific policies that take into account the specific environmental conditions and geographical location of each country. Tajikistan is also affected by climate change and faces various environmental problems. It is worth noting that the melting of glaciers is one of the environmental problems, especially for countries whose development and well-being depend on glacier water. Tajikistan, which has many glaciers, considers the problem of rapid melting of glaciers a serious threat to the management of its water resources in the medium and long term. Specific initiatives and strategies to reduce the negative effects of climate change are being developed and implemented in the country.
Tajikistan uses water resources formed by glaciers as a source of renewable energy. About 98% of the country’s electricity is generated by hydroelectric power plants, which has made Tajikistan a leader in the field of green energy. Tajikistan is rich in water resources, with about 7,000 glaciers, 155 lakes of various sizes and tens of thousands of natural and mineral springs. President and Leader of the Nation Emomali Rahmon once said that “Tajikistan is truly a gift from God, a miracle of nature, a piece of paradise on Earth. There is no other country in the world with such unique nature, clean water, sweet springs, beautiful and majestic mountains with rich underground resources as we have. Therefore, it is quite natural that we should be proud of such a beautiful land and be grateful for every piece of land, for every drop of water, and keep all this wealth, which is the source of our life, clean and tidy.”
It should be noted that in 2024, President Emomali Rahmon, in his speech at the opening ceremony of the Third International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028” on the urgent global problem of rapid melting of glaciers noted: “I would like to draw your attention to another urgent problem, namely the problem of glaciers, which are one of the main sources of fresh water. Along with the unprecedented growth in demand for water, which is associated with population growth and economic development, the rapid melting of glaciers and the reduction of their resources have caused deep concern to the world community. This process is clearly observed in the Republic of Tajikistan. Over the past few decades, out of 14 thousand glaciers in our country, which are the main source of formation of up to 60 percent of the water resources of Central Asia, one thousand have completely melted “[12]. Since 1930, the glaciers of Tajikistan have decreased by about 30%.
The largest rivers in Central Asia — the Amu Darya, Syr Darya, and Zarafshan — flow through Tajikistan. The Amu Darya River basin is the largest in the region, and most of the small rivers and streams of Tajikistan belong to this basin. The area of this basin reaches 227 thousand square kilometers, its border in the north runs with the Olin and Turkestan mountain ranges, in the east with the Sary-Kul mountains, and in the south, it reaches the Hindu Kush mountains. If this process continues, then in the next 30-40 years many small glaciers may disappear and affect the flow of large rivers. During an event, President Rahmon emphasized that a similar situation is developing on the glaciers of the Pamirs.
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A striking example of this is the melting of the largest glacier on land — the Fedchenko glacier in Tajikistan, the length of which is more than 75 kilometers. Research shows that in the last 70-80 years alone, the Fedchenko Glacier has retreated more than a kilometer, reducing its area to 44 square kilometers. At the same time, its volume has decreased by 15 cubic kilometers, and the average rate of retreat of the glacier’s summit is 16 meters per year.
Key Aspects of Tajikistan’s Glacier Protection Policy
First, Tajikistan has launched international initiatives to protect glaciers, which are vital for water resources and climate stability, in response to the unprecedented global glacier melt caused by climate change. As part of these efforts, and following the proposal of President Rahmon, the international community adopted a resolution declaring December 14, 2022, as the International Day of Glacier Protection. There are some other initiatives also:
– Proclamation of March 21 as the International Day for the Protection of Glaciers;
– Proclamation of 2025 as the International Year of Glacier Protection;
– Establishment of an International Trust Fund under the UN to promote the protection of glaciers;
– Holding an International Conference on the Protection of Glaciers in Dushanbe in 2025 [5.C-6].
In the context of this UN resolution, it was announced that in 2025, after the start of World Glacier Day, the International Glacier Day will be celebrated, as in previous years. The country is actively promoting the idea of preserving glaciers in the international arena, including the proposal to declare an International Year of Glacier Conservation and an international conference on this issue is planned to be held in Dushanbe.
The second is the adoption of the law on the protection of glaciers. Tajikistan has adopted a law defining the legal, economic and organizational basis for the protection of glaciers as an environmental object and a strategic source of water resources. On January 3, 2024, President Rahmon signed the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On the Protection of Glaciers”. This law, in coordination with other current laws of Tajikistan, defines the areas of activity of state structures in monitoring glaciers, studying and proposing fundamental scientific methods to prevent glacier melting. The law also directly defines the implementation of measures to protect glaciers and the rational use of water flowing from glaciers.
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In accordance with Article 3, the state policy on the protection of glaciers is enshrined. The state policy on the protection of glaciers includes a set of legal, organizational, economic, social, scientific, cultural and education and preserving glaciers as strategic sources of water resources for the benefit of the population, economic sectors, ensuring a sustainable ecological balance, preserving the habitats of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna. The creation of the International Fund for Glacier Protection is one of the main economic instruments for adaptation to climate change and financing of glacier protection projects. The study and protection of glaciers are defined as one of the priority areas of the transition to sustainable development. The International Fund for Glacier Protection pays special attention to projects for the protection and monitoring of glaciers in the mountainous regions of the world.
Tajikistan is also actively engaged in scientific research and monitoring of the state of glaciers and cooperates with international organizations and countries to assess changes and develop strategies for their protection. The Law of Tajikistan “On the Protection of Glaciers” clearly and accurately defines the position and activities of state bodies in the field of glacier protection, regulation of water resources use, and simultaneously determines the conduct of scientific research, and also regulates scientific research, completely excluding various contradictory information, which allows for the development of state perspectives and strategies based on scientifically sound data. The law also clearly defines scientifically sound research and, at the same time, the monitoring of glaciers.
Chapter 3 of this law is devoted to scientific research and monitoring of glaciers, which, according to paragraphs 1 and 2, scientific research of glaciers is carried out by research institutions. There is a state scientific institution “Center for the Study of Glaciers of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan”. The Center carries out its activities in cooperation with the relevant government agencies of ministries and departments, executive bodies of state power, public organizations, partners in sustainable development and other international structures and organizations in the following areas:
– Conducting scientific work to substantiate the study of glaciers and snow cover;
– Determining isotopes in laboratory conditions;
– Studying isotopes in glaciers and snow cover;
– Organizing and conducting expeditionary work with foreign partners;
– Monitoring and assessing the depth of snow cover and the possibility of breakthrough of dangerous glacial lakes.
Conducting fundamental and scientific-practical research in Tajikistan that meets international standards and creating a scientific and technological infrastructure to achieve innovative development in the field of high technologies of the cryosphere, glaciology and hydrometeorology are the main tasks of the Center, the implementation of which will contribute to the study of glaciers and the main sources of water resources of the Republic of Tajikistan. Timed to coincide with the announcement of 2025 as the Year of Glacier Protection, an international laboratory for the study of isotopes in glaciers and ice sheets has begun work at the State Scientific Institution “Center for the Study of Glaciers of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan”.
On September 30, 2022, Tajikistan adopted the “Green Economy Development Strategy for 2023-2037”. The purpose of the adoption is to carry out regulatory reforms, ensure the efficient use of natural capital, attract investment, introduce modern and innovative technologies, and strengthen international cooperation in the direction of the “green economy”. The implementation of this Strategy will contribute to ensuring sustainable development in the economic sphere, social stability, ecological balance and improving the well-being of the people of Tajikistan. In this process, three areas of opportunity for the formation of a “green” economy in Tajikistan can be distinguished:
– The economic direction, in which, in order to promote an efficient and low-carbon economy, firstly, the use of administrative measures to limit emissions into the atmosphere, secondly, economic instruments based on “green” taxation, environmental payments and “green” subsidies; the third includes voluntary measures requiring the creation of an appropriate database and a public-private partnership management system.
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The social aspect of the “green” economy will ensure, by stimulating “green” investments in technology, ecotourism, education and science, growth of income and employment, reduction of carbon emissions and environmental pollution, and will be formed by increasing energy efficiency and resource efficiency.
The environmental aspect of the “green” economy requires the efficient use of mineral (underground) sources of exhaustible energy, since their intensive use, on the one hand, has a negative impact on the climate, and on the other hand, leads to a limitation of natural resources for future generations.
Therefore, this direction of the “green” economy, or in other words, the low-carbon economy, is based on the principles of reliable energy supply, which are based on energy conservation, its efficiency and the transition to renewable energy sources.
The government of Tajikistan has developed and adopted laws, strategies and state programs in the field of water and climate, glacier protection and artificial intelligence development. These are:
Law On Glacier Protection, State Program for the Study and Protection of Glaciers of Tajikistan for 2010-2030, Strategy for the Development of Green Economy in Tajikistan for 2023-2037, State Program for the Development of Green Economy of the Republic of Tajikistan until 2040, National Water Strategy of Tajikistan for the Period until 2040, Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence in Tajikistan for the Period until 2040, Scientific Decade of the Cryosphere for 2025-2034, and 2025-2030 “Years of Development of the Digital Economy and Innovations.
In conclusion, the fight against climate change, including the melting of glaciers, is the policy of the government of Tajikistan, and in connection with its global threats to the world community, President Emomali Rahmon once stated: “The rapid melting of glaciers, as well as the increase in water consumption due to population growth and economic development, threatens the lives and well-being of hundreds of millions of people.”
Indeed, in the person of President Emomali Rahmon, Tajikistan is recognized as a full-fledged participant in the world community and the founder of international initiatives in the field of water and glacier protection, which has led to the growth of the country’s reputation and prestige at the global level.
Today, all activities and the search for solutions to all issues related to the protection of glaciers, solving the problems of providing all people with clean water, international cooperation on these issues are carried out with the direct and active participation of the Republic of Tajikistan. At the suggestion of President Emomali Rahmon, five important initiatives related to water and climate were submitted to the UN General Assembly, including Proclamation of 2003 as the International Year of Freshwater; International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”, 2005-2015; 2013 – the International Year of Water Cooperation and the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028”; and declaration of 2025 as the Year of Glacier Protection.
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As Doronshoeva Nekbakht noted in her work on the water initiative: “Water and water resources in each state, including in independent Tajikistan, are one of the main factors in the development and improvement of economic, trade, social and cultural life. It is not without reason that President Emomali Rahmon, seriously emphasized the incomparable position and importance of drinking water: “Everyone should know that the value of water for the sustainable future development of the country and the region is no less than oil, gas, coal and other natural resources.” These meaningful words of the political leader of Tajikistan were heard from the high rostrum of the UN ten years ago.
In recent years, Tajikistan’s policy to address the problem of melting glaciers has benefited from the global diplomacy of President Rahmon in ensuring peace and stability and promoting the solution of global problems. The key points of Tajikistan’s global policy to address the problem of glaciers are as follows:
- International initiatives to protect glaciers;
- Adoption of a law on the protection of glaciers;
- Scientific research and monitoring;
- The strategy for the development of the “green economy” for 2023-2037;
- State strategy and programs.
Sohibi Bahrulo
Sohibi Bahrulo is a Research Fellow at the Department of Southeast Asia, Institute for the Study of Asian and European Issues
