Children, Climate and the Environment in Tajikistan
Narrative Report
Highlights
Climate change poses an urgent and growing threat to the children of Tajikistan, with average temperatures expected to rise by 1.7°C by 2030, 3.1°C by 2050, and 5.4°C by 2080.1 Climate-related hazards such as extreme heat, flooding, water scarcity, and drought are increasingly jeopardising children’s health and well-being. Other environmental hazards, including sand and dust storms, earthquakes, air and water pollution and land degradation, further compound these risks, particularly for Tajikistan’s poorest and most marginalised children. Together, these hazards threaten their access to essential services such as clean water, healthcare, education and nutritious food - and undermine their right to a safe, healthy environment.
Tajikistan’s children face the highest environmental health burden in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This is due to their combined exposure to climate and environment-related hazards and extreme vulnerability as a result of multidimensional poverty. The country’s reliance on natural resources and agriculture leaves rural communities particularly exposed to the impacts of rising temperatures, shrinking glaciers, and erratic rainfall. The effects will be especially severe for infants, young children, girls, children with disabilities, and those living in mountainous or remote rural areas.
The Children and Climate Report for Tajikistan compiles the latest data and research on each climate and environment-related hazard and outlines the specific impact they have on children. The report also outlines specific measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change on children’s lives. These include strengthening access to climate-resilient services, including safe water and sanitation, healthcare education, social protection and clean energy.
