For the honorable people of the Republic of Tajikistan, it is a matter of pride that at the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, held on December 14, 2022, another proposal was adopted The founder of national peace and unity, the leader of the nation, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, the respected Emomali Rahmon, was supported by 153 member states, and 2025 was declared the International Year for the Protection of Glaciers, and March 21 – the International Day of Glaciers. Also in this meeting, a special trust fund for the protection of glaciers was created under this world-famous organization. Support for the humanitarian and constructive initiatives of the Republic of Tajikistan in matters related to water and climate indicates an increase in the authority and influence of Tajikistan in the international arena.
On November 7, 2022, the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Model Convention on Climate Change was held in Egypt, in which the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon took part and spoke. His Excellency drew the attention of the audience to the negative effects of climate change and the melting of the world’s glaciers, including the glaciers of Tajikistan, the ever-increasing reduction in fresh water reserves and its catastrophic consequences, and noted that “Given that the glaciers and other water sources of Tajikistan, in which 60 percent of the water resources of Central Asia are formed, this process will create additional problems for water use plans in the countries of the region. In this context, within the framework of the Water-Climate Alliance, we proposed that 2025 be declared the “International Year of Glacier Protection”. km2, i.e. almost 11% of the land area, and their total volume is 30 million square meters. equal to km3. More than 99% of the Earth’s glaciers are located in the Polar Regions. In addition, they are also found on the tops of mountains. Glaciers of Tajikistan belong to this type of glaciers. According to available information, there are currently 8492 glaciers in the Republic of Tajikistan with an area of 8476 km2. The total volume of all of them is 567 km3. Although the Republic of Tajikistan is approximately one tenth of the area of Central Asia, almost two thirds of the flow of the entire region is formed on its territory. The glaciers of Tajikistan annually produce more than 13 km3 of water, which is a quarter of the flow of the republic’s rivers. Glaciers are not only reservoirs, but also moisture regulators: they regulate the flow of rivers and reduce the speed of high and low tides, which is beneficial for all areas of the economy. The need to protect glaciers was emphasized by the leader of our people Emomali Rahmon at previous sessions of the UN General Assembly: due to climate change and an increase in the average annual temperature to 1 ° C, glaciers are melting quickly, and fresh water resources on the planet, including in the Republic of Tajikistan, are decreasing every year.
According to experts, the impact of global climate change on the glaciers of Tajikistan has shown that over the entire period of research, starting from 1930 (the first measurements with instruments), about a third of the total permafrost area of the republic has been reduced. The glaciers of Central Asia, which are the main source of river water, annually lose an average of 0.6-0.8% of their frozen area and 0.1% of their volume. Over the past two or three decades, 1000 glaciers have completely melted and disappeared in the Republic of Tajikistan. Among them is the largest glacier in Tajikistan and the largest mountain glacier in the world – the Fedchenko Glacier, which is located in the northwestern Pamir Mountains, It has a length of 77 km, an average width of 2 km, a maximum width of 5 km, an area of 156 km2 (with all branches 824.1 km2), a maximum thickness of 1 km, and a volume (together with the volume of its branches) is 144 km3. gives, it decreases from year to year both in volume and in area. Remote sensing shows that from 1966 to 2000 the area of the Fedchenko glacier system decreased by 44 km2 (6%). Well-known studies conducted in the summer of 2006 showed that in the current state, the retreat of the tongue of the Fedchenko glacier is 16 m per year, and since the 30s of the last century, that is, from the first periods of research, it has retreated by more than 1 km. The surface of the glacier in its lower part is relative that is, during this period the glacier degraded and “broke”. A similar state of decline is observed on other glaciers in Tajikistan. Observations by Swiss experts also show that the glaciers of the Swiss part of the Alps are rapidly melting and their wear is increasing, and according to their forecasts, more than 80% of the volume of these glaciers may disappear in 80 years. It is important to note that due to climate change, the rapid melting of glaciers not only reduces the amount of fresh water resources, but also has many devastating and disturbing consequences. Based on data from various expert organizations, it can be seen that currently 844 million people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water, 1.8 billion people consume contaminated water and 2.4 billion people do not have access to sanitation. By 2050, 2.3 billion people are projected to live in water-stressed areas. In this case, with an increase in the population of the Earth and at the same time a decrease in fresh water supplies, the conditions for supplying fresh, sterilized water and access to sanitation will become more difficult. It is clear that these problems and the demand for clean water in the world have a great impact on the availability of water resources, especially clean water. By 2030, the demand for fresh water is projected to increase by 50%, and the scarcity of available fresh water resources will increase to 40%. In addition, climate change contributes to water-related emergencies such as devastating floods.
On December 16, 2022, the twelfth session of the National Assembly of the Supreme Assembly of the Republic of Tajikistan of the sixth convocation was held in Dushanbe, i.e. “2025 is the International Year for the Protection of Glaciers” in Dushanbe. In 2025, Dushanbe will host the International Conference on the Protection of Glaciers. Local officials were appointed to hold such a large-scale event at the required level.
Bakhtovar Mirzovali, the Head of the Department of Natural Sciences Pedagogical college named after Khosiyat Makhsumova TSPU named after Sadriddin Aini
