Central Asia Climate Hotspot

This article discusses the sustainability risks and vulnerabilities facing Central Asia, emphasizing the geopolitical interests of Russia, China, and the European Union, and the added risks posed by climate change to fragile ecosystems and shared resources.

• Central Asia is characterized by environmental, social, and political vulnerability, with the independent states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan inheriting fragile ecosystems while lacking a common governance framework to manage them. These nations are also tied to unsustainable resource-based and agricultural practices.
• Climate change introduces a significant layer of risk to the region, particularly through indirect impacts that cross national borders via population flows, supply chains, and shared water resources.
• The region serves as a geopolitical crossroads where Russia, China, and the European Union have overlapping spheres of influence and intense interests.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2015). Central Asia Climate Hotspot. https://www.sei.org/publications/central-asia-climate-hotspot-r/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Central Asia Climate Hotspot. 2015. https://www.sei.org/publications/central-asia-climate-hotspot-r/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Central Asia Climate Hotspot |date=9 December 2015 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/central-asia-climate-hotspot-r/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2015central, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Central Asia Climate Hotspot}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2015}, month = dec, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/central-asia-climate-hotspot-r/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }