Integrated environmental education will reduce the pressure on nature in Tajikistan

The global average temperature has already risen by 0.8ºC C, and we are on track to increase that figure by 4ºC by the end of this century.  This scenario reportedly poses a direct threat to the intensity of floods, droughts, storms and sea level rise never experienced by humankind. Moreover, for today about 40% of agricultural land worldwide is seriously degraded.

It should be noted that for Tajikistan, which is one of the most vulnerable countries to the consequences of climate change, as well as with unique ecosystem areas, the development of environmental education could become one of the priority tasks in the process of adaptation to the consequences of climate change.

As is already known, one of the negative consequences of climate change for Tajikistan is the melting of glaciers, which will reduce the amount of water available for agriculture, said Khurshed, noting that households at greatest risk are in mountainous areas, whose irrigation systems depend entirely on glacial rivers.

According to Tajik experts, thousands of small glaciers in Tajikistan will completely melt by 2050.  The area covered with ice will be reduced by 20%.  As a result, the share of glacial waters feeding local rivers may decrease by 20-40%, which will certainly have a negative impact on the agricultural sector.

Climate change reportedly also worsens the situation with pastures. The situation is also complicated by overgrazing, which leads to conflicts among shepherds. Because of the unsustainable use of pastures and the effects of climate change, shepherds are forced to move their livestock into areas already occupied by other herders. In this regard, in order to obtain the required amount of food, cattle have to be on pastures for 2-3 months longer than usual.  However, even in this situation, the livestock does not receive enough food, and part of it perishes without surviving the winter.

Farmers also suffer from shifting seasons, Khurshed noted. Due to climate change, winters are getting warmer and springs colder than usual.  This leads to disease in trees that are not adapted to temperature fluctuations.  It is worth noting that the current climate change cannot be stopped, since the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere will be there for the next hundred years and possibly more. And this will happen despite the potential stop of all emissions into the atmosphere.

However, it is also necessary to consider natural disasters for which local households are not prepared.  For example, according to the data from the Emergencies Committee under the Government of Tajikistan, in the period between 1997-2018, approximately 3460 natural disasters occurred in the country, i.e. on average, one natural disaster occurred every two days.

The independent researcher says integrated environmental education will reduce the pressure on nature, which is in distress due to the effects of climate change.  Pressures include, inter alia, unsustainable use of land and water resources and unsustainable household management, in addition to the negative impacts of climate change.

Tajikistan has a good legislative base in the field of environmental education.  The Law on Environmental Education (2010) and the State Comprehensive Program for the Development of Environmental Education and Education of the Population of Tajikistan until 2020 (2015) describe the situation very clearly and propose goals and objectives for improving the policy.