The International Glacier Forum, held as part of the Third International Conference on "Water for Sustainable Development," has started its work in Dushanbe, the national news agency of Tajikistan, Khovar reports.
Leading scientists and experts from various countries, dealing with transformations in the cryosphere under changing climate conditions, have gathered for the conference. Specialists will share their views on the issue, present thematic studies, and the results of already implemented projects. It is expected that forum participants will ultimately adopt a "roadmap" for the International Year of Glacier Preservation in 2025.
As part of the same International Conference, a youth and children’s forum on water and climate has also begun in Dushanbe. Delegates will review the progress of individual countries in fulfilling the voluntary commitments made at the UN Water Conference last year. Youth organizations will present innovative ideas for improving the environmental situation and share their experiences of cooperating with the government in addressing climate-related issues. Participants from the Netherlands, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and India will give presentations.
In addition to the mentioned events, the "Water for Sustainable Development" conference program includes several other projects:
- African Water Forum;
- Central Asia Forum;
- International Forum "Women and Water";
- Basin Organizations Forum;
- Regional Forum of Parliamentarians;
- Private Sector Forum;
- Science and Technology Forum
On the eve of the event in Dushanbe, UN Secretary-General António Guterres made several statements on the seriousness of climate change. The politician cited expert data showing that May of this year was yet another record-hot month in history. According to Guterres, there are increasingly fewer chances to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius and thus prevent a climate catastrophe. He added that to achieve this goal, harmful emissions need to be reduced by 9% annually until 2030, but based on last year's statistics, the figure has instead increased by 1%.
"Everything depends on the decisions world leaders will or will not make, especially in the next eighteen months," the UN Secretary-General said in his statement. Guterres also emphasized the need to increase spending on adaptation to extreme weather conditions.
"The global financial system must be involved in solving the climate problem, as excessive debt repayments consume funds needed to combat climate change," lamented the UN Secretary-General.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 10, 2024