Economics of Climate Change Mitigation in Central and West Asia

The report analyzes GHG mitigation in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, finding that while these countries have high GHG intensity due to fossil fuel reliance, significant low-cost abatement is possible through energy efficiency and fuel switching. It proposes specific Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and investment concepts for each country to transition toward low-carbon growth.

• Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan have carbon-intensive economies where over 75% of 2010 GHG emissions originated from the energy and transport sectors.
• In the 'No Action Scenario', GHG emissions are projected to rise significantly by 2050: by 78% in Azerbaijan, 118% in Kazakhstan, and 243% in Uzbekistan.
• Low-cost technical mitigation measures, particularly efficiency improvements in buildings and vehicles, can achieve significant abatement at very low cost or direct cost savings across all three countries.
• For Azerbaijan, implementing all identified low-cost technical measures could result in a 10% emission reduction from the baseline by 2050 at a discounted cost of -$5 per tCO2e.
• In Kazakhstan, low-cost technical measures can achieve a 15% reduction in emissions by 2030 and a 13% reduction by 2050 at a discounted cost of $5 per tCO2e.
• Uzbekistan's low-cost technical measures could achieve a 7% reduction in emissions by 2050 at a discounted cost of -$33 per tCO2e, though these gains are offset by rapid economic and energy demand growth.
• Price-based scenarios, such as aligning fuel prices with OECD levels, are more effective at reducing fuel consumption and GHG emissions than technical measures alone in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
• The report proposes a NAMA for Azerbaijan focused on promoting agro-energy development based on renewable energy, with a pilot project at the Samukh agro-energy complex.
• A proposed NAMA for Kazakhstan focuses on fostering the use of natural gas in the transport sector, including the construction of 35 to 100 CNG fueling stations.
• A proposed NAMA for Uzbekistan aims to accelerate the deployment of small-scale hydropower, targeting an annual GHG reduction of 918,715 tCO2e by 2030.
• Investment concepts for the NAMAs include solar PV and biogas plants at the Samukh complex (Azerbaijan), 10 CNG refueling stations (Kazakhstan), and the Tuyabuguzskaya small hydropower plant (Uzbekistan).
• Mitigation options in Kazakhstan, specifically the Extended Emission Trading Scheme, offer substantial human health cobenefits, estimated at 5,500–5,800 avoided mortalities.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2017). Economics of Climate Change Mitigation in Central and West Asia. https://cdn.leap.sei.org/documents/economics-climatechange-cwa.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Economics of Climate Change Mitigation in Central and West Asia. 2017. https://cdn.leap.sei.org/documents/economics-climatechange-cwa.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Economics of Climate Change Mitigation in Central and West Asia |date=February 2017 |url=https://cdn.leap.sei.org/documents/economics-climatechange-cwa.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2017economics, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Economics of Climate Change Mitigation in Central and West Asia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2017}, month = feb, url = {https://cdn.leap.sei.org/documents/economics-climatechange-cwa.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }