25/09/2021 - 14:04 4145

The third meeting in the format of a round table "Support for environmental, low-carbon development of industry and economy" was held in Tashkent. It was held as part of a series of strategic dialogues and consultations on the topic "Green growth and climate change in the Republic of Uzbekistan", which will continue until January 2022.

The cycle is organized jointly with the Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction, the World Bank and the Regional Environmental Center of Central Asia. Its goal is to involve all stakeholders in the search for ways to accelerate the transition to a green economy in our country and achieve the priorities of environmental sustainability defined in the draft Strategy on Climate Change for 2021-2023 and the Strategy for the Transition to a "green" economy.

The event was attended online and offline by more than 60 specialists of state bodies, leading experts in economics and environmental protection, representatives of the civil community and international organizations. They discussed the vision and opportunities of a low-carbon transition in the energy, industrial and transport sectors of Uzbekistan, as well as the introduction of technologies and practices of the circular economy. The risks of a carbon-intensive development model, low potential for adaptation to climate change and a decrease in the competitiveness of products exported by the republic to world markets due to the possible introduction of a border carbon tax were considered.

It was noted that the energy sector is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions – up to 80%, with 10% coming from agriculture and 4% each from industrial production and waste.

Bahrom Umarbekov, Deputy Director of the Office of Projects for Reforming the Electric Power Sector of the Ministry of Energy, said that Uzbekistan plans to increase the share of renewable energy sources and total energy generation from the current 13 to 30 GW by 2030, of which 5 will be solar energy, 3 – wind energy and 3.8 – hydropower.

"The World Bank provides comprehensive support to the Government of Uzbekistan in decarbonizing energy through investment financing, providing consulting services and conducting analytics. The country has ample opportunities to improve energy efficiency, and the World Bank has allocated about $ 600 million for appropriate investments, " said Ferhat Esen, a senior energy specialist at the World Bank.

It was emphasized that the introduction of circular economy practices is important for the green development of the republic. Senior specialist in environmental Protection of the World Bank Qing Wang listed among them the development of measures for waste disposal, pollution control, reuse of products and materials in the production process, restoration of natural ecosystems in order to greenize infrastructure and modernize enterprises.

Independent expert, director of the Center for Economic Development Yuli Yusupov noted that the key to solving energy problems is in the institutionalization of reforms. In his opinion, the motivation for the use of innovative technologies in the private sector is much higher than that of the state.

The next 9 strategic dialogues in the round table format will be held twice a month until January 2022. Meetings are expected on the topics of increasing resilience to climate change, mobilizing green finance, developing a roadmap to accelerate the transition to green growth, and others.

Information Service of the
Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction