Turkmenistan pays great attention to solving environmental problems, including the situation in the Aral Sea basin. Nowadays the world community is concerned about ecology. In the era of industrialization, climate change has become a key issue of the agenda.
Columnist of CentralAsia.news, publicist Mikhail Stolonogov noted that at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries, the extraction of natural resources and the growth of industrial production, increase in CO2 emissions, led to the fact that now the well-being of any country depends on the measures to protect the environment.
International initiatives
Turkmenistan is implementing a very responsible policy in this regard. The country will put forward several environmental initiatives at the upcoming 78th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
First, Turkmenistan will continue to work on the creation of the UN Regional Center to address issues related to climate change.
Secondly, within the framework of the Global Methane Pledge, the Turkmen side will propose to develop a global strategy for the zero growth of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 under the auspices of the UN.
At the same time, Turkmenistan will propose to develop a Caspian Environmental Initiative and establish the United Nations Regional Council on water use issues in Central Asia with headquarters in Ashgabat.
The Caspian Sea is a special topic on the agenda. Currently, Turkmenistan is carrying out unprecedented work to preserve the biodiversity of this largest closed reservoir in the world. All the industrial production facilities on the shore meet the most stringent requirements.
Meeting of the Council of Heads of Founding States of IFAS
On September 14, Tajikistan will host the 5th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of States of Central Asia. The participants will discuss environmental safety issues. They will place particular emphasis on strengthening the process of developing regional cooperation and further strengthening security and stability in the region.
Tajikistan will also host a regular meeting of the Council of the Heads of the Founding States of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS). The participants will consider issues of the work of the organization for over 30 years, process of improving its institutional structure and legal framework, as well as cooperation within improving the water management, environmental and socio-economic situation in the Aral Sea basin.
Environmental disaster
The problems of the Aral Sea are indeed an environmental disaster. The irrational use of water sources feeding this once deep reservoir has led to the fact that at present the states of the region are scrupulously looking for ways to resolve the issue.
Turkmenistan comes up with a number of initiatives in the relevant direction, and some of them are enshrined in special UN resolutions.
Today the word «Aral» is associated with an environmental disaster in Central Asia. Caring for water resources, new technologies and support from the world community might contribute to resolving issues related to the Aral problem.