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Usmonova S. student
faculty of international economy and management University of world economy and diplomacy Research advisor: Turayeva S.
docent
University of World Economy and Diplomacy
UZBEKISTAN'S TRANSITION TO A GREEN ECONOMY: OBSTACLES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Abstract. Closely related to the ecological economy, the green economy is an economy that aims to reduce environmental risks and ecological scarcity and achieve sustainable development without destroying the environment. According to the UNEP 2011 Green Economy Report, "to be green, an economy must be not only efficient, but also fair. Fairness involves recognizing global and country-level dimensions of equity, particularly ensuring a just transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient and socially inclusive economy."[1] In this article, we will observe about measures that should be taken in order to improve certain sectors of the economy and reduce the impact on the environment in Uzbekistan's transition to a green economy. In conclusion, in the article, we can see the necessity of Uzbekistan's transition to a green economy, and that it wants to achieve the specified goal by developing separate sectors of the economy.
Keywords: green economy, CO2, air pollution, water use efficiency, energy sources.
In the last decade, the green economy has become an important task for the sustainable development of the economies of developed and developing countries. And the essence of the green economy provides an attractive framework for enabling resource-efficient, low-carbon, environmentally-friendly, and socially inclusive societies. There are tensions between competing green economy discourses and a number of different definitions, all of which have major flaws. This is further complicated by different concepts of "weak", "transformational" and "strong" green economies. Several important definitions focus on the "transformational green economy". To enable and monitor this "transformation", the economic and environmental dimension is important. Existing approaches are still under development, lack available data or show inconsistencies with the proposed definitions, and thus neither support effective decision-making nor efforts to transform the economy.
In 2015, the world's leading countries promised to try to prevent the global temperature from exceeding 1.5 degrees. For the first time, they have pledged to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.
The Paris Agreement, adopted by 194 countries (193 countries and the European Union) in Paris, France, on December 12, 2015, entered into force on November 4, 2016. [2] Along with developing countries, a number of projects and legal frameworks for the transition to a green economy have been developed and are being implemented in the Republic of Uzbekistan. In order to fulfill its obligations under the Paris Agreement, Uzbekistan has adopted legislation that is a solid basis for the implementation of measures aimed at saving fuel and energy resources. Including modernization and renewal of production facilities and energy-intensive industries, reducing losses in electrical networks, using energy-saving technologies in the construction sector, innovative technologies from renewable energy sources (solar collectors, small hydroelectric units and biogas plants, wind) to expand use. mills, etc.) in all sectors of the national economy, improvement of solid household waste management system, etc. The law of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. PQ-4477 dated 04.10.2019 "On the approval of the strategy for the transition to a "green" economy of the Republic of Uzbekistan during the period of 2019-2030" is an absolute example of our statement.
Accelerating industrialization and population growth are significantly increasing the economy's need for resources. It also increases the negative anthropogenic impact on the environment and leads to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The low level of energy efficiency of the economy, the unreasonable use of natural resources, the slowness of technology renewal, the insufficient participation of small businesses in the introduction of innovative solutions for the development of the "green economy" prevent the achievement of the priority national goals and tasks in the field of sustainable development of the country.
In 2018, the Republic of Uzbekistan ratified the Paris Agreement (Paris, December 12, 2015) and in connection with its implementation, according to the contribution determined at the national level - until 2030, comparative allocations of greenhouse gases per unit of gross domestic product in 2010 accepted a quantitative commitment to reduce the level by 10 percent.[3]
In 2021, the UNFCCC secretariat published the first biennial report on updated data of the Republic of Uzbekistan.[4] According to this report the total greenhouse gas emissions of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017 amounted to 189.2 million tons of CO2 equivalent (excluding CO2 absorption in the Forestry and other types of land use (FLOU) sector) and 180.6 million tons of CO2-eq. taking into account CO2 absorption.
Table 1
Greenhouse gas emissions by individual gases in Uzbekistan, million tons of CO2-eq.[5]_____
Years co2 CH4 n2 o HFCS Total
1990 111,7 56,3 9,4 - 177,4
2000 111,0 89,7 7,7 0,001 208,5
2010 103,4 84,5 12,0 0,02 199,9
2011 106,6 83,0 12,4 0,03 202,0
2012 106,8 83,2 12,6 0,04 202,7
2013 96,7 80,6 12,9 0,05 190,3
2014 99,7 79,6 13,6 0,06 192,9
2015 95,9 74,9 14,5 0,09 185,3
2016 95,4 72,9 14,4 0,17 182,8
2017 101,4 73,1 14,4 0,27 189,2
Trend
^(1990-2017) -9,2% 29,9% 52,3% - 6,7%
^(2013-2017) 4,9% -9,3% 11,2% 464,1% -0,6%
We can see that for the period 1990-2017 GHG emissions increased by 6.7%, and for 2013-2017 decreased slightly by 0.6%. The largest share of emissions in the country comes from carbon dioxide; its contribution to total emissions in 2017 was 53.6%. Methane accounted for 38.6%, nitrous oxide - 7.6% and hydrofluorocarbons - 0.2%. There have been noticeable changes in the structure of GHG emissions, which have led to: reducing the share of carbon dioxide in emissions by 9.4% (from 63.0% to 53.6%); increasing the share of nitrous oxide by 2.3% (from 5.3% to 7.6%); increasing the share of methane by 6.9% (from 31.7% to 38.6%). The reduction in CO2 emissions was mainly due to the implementation of mitigation measures in the energy sector.
There are many problems and tasks before the Republic of Uzbekistan to solve the existing problems. First of all, Uzbekistan has to improve resource management. The country's resource efficiency is much lower than that of the European Union and other upper-middle-income countries. Water use in Uzbekistan is particularly inefficient, with the country's energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product nearly three times the average for Europe and Central Asia and twice that of neighboring Kazakhstan.
At the same time, particulate air pollution from urban and industrial sources is exacerbated by wind-blown sand and dust from disturbed lands. A significant portion of the population is regularly exposed to air quality that is considered harmful.To meet its green ambitions, Uzbekistan must address these and other issues divided into three time frames: immediate, near-term, and long-term.
In the long run, the country would do well to transition from agriculture to more expensive, better-paying sectors. For this, it is necessary to retrain a part of the agricultural labor force, in particular, the most vulnerable women and youth.
Improving water use efficiency through water pricing and investment in irrigation should be the highest priority, and certain water use limits are part of these new priorities. Today, about 20% of the water used in the country is formed on the territory of the Republic, and the remaining 80% is taken from the transboundary rivers - Amudarya and Syrdarya. On average, 44-48 billion cubic meters of water are used in the country per year, and the main part of water resources, or more than 85 percent, is used for irrigation purposes in agriculture. Experts say that currently 46 billion cubic meters of water is used on 3 million 200 thousand hectares of land, and 60 percent of it reaches crops. 23 percent of the total 180,000 kilometers of irrigation networks are covered with concrete, and they have not been updated for 30-35 years. This requires the efficient use of water, the introduction of water-saving irrigation technologies, especially the widespread use of irrigation technologies such as drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, subsoil irrigation, film laying on egates, and portable flexible plastic pipes.[6]
A reasonable low-carbon policy will provide the necessary incentives for the transition to low-carbon energy and energy efficiency in Uzbekistan.
In addition, a broader list of sectors with similar green potential, based on renewable energy sources and other innovative technologies, deserves further analysis. Involvement of the public sector and green finance is essential to ensure the success of the transition to a green economy.
In conclusion, prioritizing green goals should be an integral part of ongoing efforts toward a broader transition to a market economy. However, the country should also consider the impact of the green transition on society. Supporting green sectors and moving away from carbon-intensive activities will change the pattern of investment and job creation, creating winners and losers. It is very important to help the companies that have suffered the most. During the global green transition, which offers many opportunities for economic growth and development, Uzbekistan must adopt sustainable policies to secure its future.
References:
1. www.unep.org/greeneconomy. UNEP 2011, "Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication"
2. https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement. "The Paris Agreement. What is the Paris Agreement?"
3. https://lex.uz/ru/docs/4539506. The law of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. PQ-4477 dated 04.10.2019 "On the approval of the strategy for the transition to a "green" economy of the Republic of Uzbekistan during the period of 2019-2030"
4. UNFCCC stands for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Convention has near universal membership (198 Parties) and is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
5. https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/FBURUZeng.pdf. The first biennial report of the UNFCCC on Uzbekistan, 2021.
6. www.parliament.gov.uz On September 27, 2019, an open class was held at the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers on the topic "Problems in the widespread use of water-saving irrigation technologies and their solutions." Information and data are taken by Information service of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
