Publication: Green Growth and Climate Change in Uzbekistan Policy Dialogue Series: A Compendium of Proceedings
Date
2022
ISSN
Published
2022
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
Over the last few decades,
Uzbekistan’s remarkable economic growth has been largely
fueled by resource extraction and the mining and
manufacturing sectors of the economy. Yet, this progress has
come at a high price. The country’s economy is now the fifth
most intensive in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in
the world and the most intensive in Europe and Central Asia
due to a fossil-fuel heavy energy mix, an energy-intensive
industrial sector, and low energy efficiency across the
sectors. Like the rest of Central Asia, Uzbekistan is also
highly vulnerable to climate change. Recently, many regions
in Uzbekistan, including Tashkent, experienced an
unprecedented sand and dust storm, the worst in 150 years of
recorded history. Green transition is also important for the
people of Uzbekistan, who are the most vulnerable to climate
change. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has added yet
another shock to the compounding impacts of many challenges
that vulnerable populations already face, with the potential
to create devastating health, social, economic, and
environmental crises that can leave a deep and long-lasting
mark. Today, Uzbekistan recognizes a unique opportunity to
overcome limits to growth under its current development
pattern and to strengthen its economic competitiveness in a
global marketplace that has become more climate and
environmentally aware. Pursuing a green transition with
widespread benefits requires a whole-of-society approach
that considers a broad range of stakeholders. To that end,
the Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction
of the Republic of Uzbekistan (MEDPR), The World Bank, and
the Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia (CAREC)
jointly held a series of public policy dialogues on green
growth and climate change. The World Bank Group remains
committed to continuing to be a trusted partner of the
government Uzbekistan. Summaries of the eleven policy
dialogue roundtables presented in this compendium should
inspire many other countries in Europe and Central Asia to
follow Uzbekistan’s lead on this agenda.
Citation
“World Bank. 2022. Green Growth and Climate Change in Uzbekistan Policy Dialogue Series : A Compendium of Proceedings. © Washington, DC : World Bank. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/37686 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”