SEI policy brief - Value of cooperation under climate change in Central Asia (draft).indd

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute describes the application of an integrated water-energy-food-ecosystems (WEFE) nexus modeling approach (LEAP-WEAP-MACRO) to the Syr Darya River Basin. It argues that integrated modeling provides more realistic results than siloed approaches and demonstrates that international cooperation among Central Asian countries can increase water availability, boost agricultural production, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to business-as-usual scenarios.

• Cooperation within the water-energy-food-ecosystems nexus among countries sharing the Syr Darya River Basin can result in higher GDP, increased agricultural value added, improved livelihoods, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and increased water availability.
• Non-cooperation among Central Asian countries leads to annual losses of USD 4.5 billion, distributed across inefficient electricity trade, agricultural losses, and a lack of access to finance.
• Integrated modeling using LEAP, WEAP, and MACRO tools provides more accurate results than standalone models by capturing connections between policy, infrastructure, and the macroeconomy. For instance, integrating LEAP and WEAP for the Kyrgyz Republic under a cooperation scenario (S2) indicates a 21% increase in water availability for hydropower generation by 2050. Additionally, the integrated model shows a 20% increase in water availability due to more nuanced hydropower dispatch compared to using the WEAP model alone.
• The study's modeling indicates that cooperation (scenario S2) can increase agricultural production through 2050 for Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic when compared to a business-as-usual (S0) approach. Conversely, pursuing national interests in isolation is likely to increase water stress across the region.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). SEI policy brief - Value of cooperation under climate change in Central Asia (draft).indd. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/water-energy-food-ecosystems-syr-darya.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. SEI policy brief - Value of cooperation under climate change in Central Asia (draft).indd. n.d. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/water-energy-food-ecosystems-syr-darya.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=SEI policy brief - Value of cooperation under climate change in Central Asia (draft).indd |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/water-energy-food-ecosystems-syr-darya.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendsei, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{SEI policy brief - Value of cooperation under climate change in Central Asia (draft).indd}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/water-energy-food-ecosystems-syr-darya.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }