National Environmental Policies of Central Asian States: A Comparative Study

Abstract The Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan face formidable environmental problems, namely the scarcity of water, desertification, climate change, and the consequences of pollution from industries which been handed down from Soviet times. These problems are interlinked; thus, the poor management of water resources increases desertification, while the effects of climate change aggravate the strains in respect of resources which exist in the region. This large comparative study examines in detail the national environmental policies of these five countries by making use of a wide variety of official documentation emanating from the governments involved, ratified international environmental agreements and critical evaluations of performance carried by various international agencies upon the different states. The major findings are revealed that there is marked difference in the extent to which policies have been evolved and implemented in practice in respect of these countries. All the Central Asian states have in some way or the other embraced in an official capacity international environmental agreement, for instance the Paris Agreement, and are working towards evolving national policies geared towards the promotion of renewable energy resources and adaptation to climate change, but the problems of institutional weakness and inadequate access to funds have inhibited their advancement. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan show more advances in respect of institutional development and legislative efforts in respect of environmental governance. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, on the contrary, appear to be engaged in developing adaptation strategies which are directed towards the lessening of adverse effects of climate change in their largely mountainous countries as for example the retreat of glaciers and increased hydrometeorological risk. Turkmenistan at present is more concerned about energy efficiency measures which comes within the ambit of national environmental policy development. The recommendations of this study call for the need for regional cooperation to enable the co-management of shared natural resources and the tackling of transboundary environmental problems, particularly in respect of the continuing problem which attends the Aral Sea. Furthermore, a strong need has been shown for effective methods of acquiring international funding which will help to overcome the limited means which presently exist to achieve long-term sustainable development goals in the region.