Central Asia is facing multiple climate-related risks, President Tokayev

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the World Leaders Climate Action Summit held within the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Akorda reports.

Kazakh leader Tokayev was the first to take the floor following the opening of a plenary session at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit.

In his speech, the Kazakh President reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s commitment to global climate agenda and highlighted the importance of international cooperation in the fight against climate change, recalling the country’s ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

President Tokayev pointed out that in order to achieve the tasks set it’s necessary to ensure access to predictable financing and latest technologies. The Kazakh leader stated that under the New Collective Quantified Goal it is important to draw special attention to regions, that are most vulnerable to climate change, including developing countries with no access to the sea.

Despite the fact that Central Asia is responsible for a mere 1% of total global emissions, the region is facing multiple climate-related risks. In order to increase the efficiency of the measures taken to address climate change, it is important to actively use advanced technologies such as AI, satellite monitoring as well as other digital instruments, allowing for early prevention and greater management of water and land resources, said the President.

Earlier it was reported that at the opening of the COP29 Climate Action Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a powerful message on the urgency of climate action.