Climate Change and Water Security in Central Asia
Event Description
Central Asia’s pressing water insecurity, compounded by competing interests, legacies of antiquated Soviet infrastructure, and anthropogenic pressures, is becoming increasingly acute. Shrinking water bodies of the littoral states of the Caspian Sea and melting glaciers feeding the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers raise urgent concerns for Central Asia’s upstream and downstream countries. The growing scarcity leaves millions vulnerable to rising human security concerns around water access, with tensions exacerbated by population growth, rapid urbanisation initiatives, and worsened by uncoordinated water resource management and allocation.
This webinar brings together leading experts to explore the oft-neglected intersection of climate change and transboundary water politics in Central Asia. Our distinguished panel of experts will offer insights into regional and institutional dynamics, geopolitical and environmental implications, and the steps needed to address the growing risks.
Key topics:
- The role of international agreements
- Cooperative data-sharing mechanisms
- Prospects for regional cooperation amid rising geopolitical and environmental tensions to address preventable water loss
Speakers
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Bruce PannierCentral Asia Fellow in the Eurasia Program at the Foreign Policy Research InstituteBruce Pannier is a longtime journalist and leading expert on Central Asia. He writes the Qishloq Ovozi blog and hosts the Majlis podcast for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. He is a Central Asia Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and serves on advisory boards for the Caspian Policy Center and the European Neighbourhood Council. Bruce has conducted extensive fieldwork across the region and has written for The Economist, Freedom House, and Oxford Analytica, among others.
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Dr. Asel MurzakulovaSenior Research Fellow at the Bishkek Campus at the University of Central AsiaDr. Asel Murzakulova is based as a Senior Research Fellow at the Bishkek Campus at the University of Central Asia and conducts research in border studies, human mobility, environmental change, natural resource management, and adaptation insecurity. Dr. Murzakulova is a visiting scholar at Harvard, Uppsala, University of California Berkely, and a number of other renowned institutions.