Tajikistan’s glaciers are disappearing fast, putting the country’s water and power supplies at risk, according to a new UNEP Atlas from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The mountain nation has warmed up 1.2°C over the past 60 years—twice as much as the rest of the world. More than 1,000 of its 14,000 glaciers have already melted completely. Many smaller ones could be gone within 30-40 years. The atlas uses decades of satellite images to track how climate change is hitting this Central Asian country.
The Pamir Mountains are getting hit the hardest. Temperatures there could jump another 2°C by 2050, which would shrink glaciers in two major river basins by 75% and 53%. The Amu Darya River could see its water flow drop by 30% compared to recent years. That spells trouble for the whole region since these rivers cross borders.
Natural disasters keep getting worse and costlier. From 2020 to 2023, Tajikistan faced 1,826 emergencies—floods, mudslides, avalanches—that killed over 100 people and cost $30 million. “This Atlas provides vital evidence to support Tajikistan in confronting the effects of climate change,” said Arnold Kreilhuber from UNEP’s Europe office. The country deals with 500-600 emergencies every year, and 90% come from floods, earthquakes, and other natural hazards.
Water problems hit hard because the country gets 95% of its electricity from hydropower. When glaciers shrink, less water flows to the power plants. The atlas says countries in the region need to work together on managing water since rivers don’t respect borders.
The online atlas comes in Russian first, with Tajik and English versions planned to help government officials track changes and make better decisions.
