Day: August 18, 2025

Kyrgyzstan is intensifying efforts to combat climate change and safeguard its rapidly melting glaciers through continued collaboration with the United Nations and international partners. Officials emphasize that glacier preservation is key to ensuring long-term water security for the region.

On August 15, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Edil Baisalov and UN Resident Coordinator in the Kyrgyz Republic Antje Grawe visited the Tien-Shan High-Altitude Physical and Geographical Station of Kyrgyzstan’s National Academy of Sciences. The joint expedition aimed to raise both domestic and global awareness of the alarming retreat of Kyrgyz glaciers, particularly the Kara-Batkak glacier, a vital source of freshwater for Kyrgyzstan and the broader Central Asian region.

Located in the Terskey Ala-Too range of the Inner Tien Shan mountains, south of Lake Issyk-Kul, the Kara-Batkak glacier has long served as a key indicator of climate change. At the research station, Baisalov and Grawe reviewed decades of scientific observations and discussed policies for climate adaptation, biodiversity protection, and water resource management.

“Kyrgyzstan is a land of glaciers, and it is our duty to safeguard this unique resource,” Baisalov said. “The shrinking of our glaciers is not just an environmental concern, it is a matter of national security, water stability, and the country’s future development.”

Grawe underscored the broader global significance of Kyrgyz scientific research and stressed the urgency of climate finance for mountain nations:

“Research on the Kara-Batkak glacier matters far beyond Kyrgyzstan. It guides national strategies and strengthens global climate action. Protecting glaciers also preserves biodiversity and sustains the ecosystems communities rely on. Therefore, climate finance must reach mountain countries like Kyrgyzstan to scale up adaptation, safeguard nature, and secure the water future of millions in Kyrgyzstan and beyond.”

Also present was Rysbek Satylkanov, Director of the Institute of Water Problems and Hydropower, who presented the latest scientific data on glacial retreat and its impact on national water systems.

Established in 1957, the Tien-Shan station is a unique high-altitude research facility conducting glaciological, meteorological, and hydrological monitoring. The Kara-Batkak glacier, within its observation zone, remains a crucial barometer of climate change in Central Asia.

According to the World Meteorological Organization and the World Glacier Monitoring Service, five of the past six years have witnessed the fastest glacier retreat ever recorded. The years 2022-2024 marked the most significant three-year loss of glacier mass in history. Glaciers once considered “eternal ice” may not survive the 21st century.

There are over 275,000 glaciers worldwide, covering approximately 700,000 square kilometers and storing about 70% of the Earth’s freshwater. Their disappearance poses a severe threat to water supplies for hundreds of millions of people.

In response, the UN General Assembly has declared 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation and designated March 21 as the annual World Day for Glaciers. The initiative aims to raise awareness of the essential role glaciers play in global climate and hydrological systems, and their significance to ecological and economic stability.