Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action in Tajikistan

Tajikistan is highly vulnerable to climate change, facing risks from glacial melt, rising temperatures, and extreme weather events like floods and mudflows. While the country has established a Climate Change Centre and is developing a national adaptation strategy, it faces significant capacity limitations and high poverty levels. Key adaptation efforts are focused on the water, agriculture, and energy sectors, with several multi-million dollar projects funded by the SPCR and other international bodies targeting rural resilience and infrastructure climate-proofing.

• Tajikistan is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its mountainous topography, high sensitivity to climate risks, and low adaptive capacity. The country is prone to various hazards including floods, droughts, hailstorms, avalanches, mudflows, and landslides.
• Observed climate trends between 1940 and 2012 show a general warming trend, with mean annual temperatures increasing by 0.1°C to 0.5°C per decade depending on the region. This warming has contributed to a reduction in glacier area by approximately one-third since the 1930s.
• Climate projections suggest temperatures may rise by up to 5°C in some areas by 2100. Glaciers, which cover about 6% of the country, are expected to decrease in area by 15% to 20% if current degradation rates continue, potentially leading to an initial increase in river flows followed by a decrease.
• The water, agriculture, energy, and health sectors are identified as the most vulnerable. Agriculture is particularly sensitive due to its reliance on water-intensive crops like cotton and poor irrigation maintenance. The energy sector is vulnerable because of its high dependence on hydropower, which is affected by seasonal river flow fluctuations.
• Rural areas are more vulnerable than urban areas, specifically the eastern part of the Region of Republican Subordination, the southern part of the Sughd hills, and the Khatlon hills and lowlands. Women and children are particularly vulnerable due to their roles in securing household resources and social barriers that limit their decision-making power.
• Tajikistan's adaptation planning is in a transitional state. While a Climate Change Centre has been established and a National Action Plan for Climate Change Mitigation was developed in 2003, a comprehensive National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan was still under development as of May 2015.
• The Strategic Program for Climate Resilience (SPCR) supports several major projects, including the 'Building Climate Resilience in the Pyanj River Basin' (US$21.5 million) and 'Enhancing the Climate Resilience of the Energy Sector' (US$75 million), the latter of which uses the Kairakkum hydropower plant as a pilot.
• Other significant adaptation initiatives include the 'Increasing Climate Resilience through Drinking Water Rehabilitation in North Tajikistan' (US$26.8 million) and the 'Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Central Asia' (US$60 million), which is a regional project involving Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.

APA

Dazé, A. (2016). Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action in Tajikistan. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/idl-55959-tajikistan.pdf

Chicago

Dazé, Angie. Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action in Tajikistan. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2016. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/idl-55959-tajikistan.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dazé |first1=Angie |title=Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action in Tajikistan |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2016 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/idl-55959-tajikistan.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{daz2016review, author = {Dazé, Angie}, title = {{Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action in Tajikistan}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2016}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/idl-55959-tajikistan.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }