"The recent outbreak of violence along the Kyrgish/ Tajik border is a prime example of how current and future water scarcity can exacerbate existing conflict fault lines." says doctoral researcher Stefanie Wesch. Upstream countries seek to explore the possibilities of hydropower, which would reduce the amount of water available further downstream for the downstream countries who depend on water-intensive cash crops such as cotton. This, in combination with other disputes over border demarcations lead to tensions in the region."
However, political will can counteract the potential for armed conflict , Mr. Wesch elaborates: "The Green Central Asia Initiative is a great example of such regional cooperation. It begins with the recognition on behalf of all parties involved, the five Central Asian Republics as well as Afghanistan, that climate change will exacerbate issues related to regional water availability. The initiative aims to build regional capacity with respect to climate science and to foster integrated water management solutions."
You can watch the full interview here (as of 00:30, fully translated into Azerbaijani). You can find out more on the Green Central Asia project here.
