Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The issue of climate change remains relevant for the Republic of Uzbekistan, since every year climate variability becomes more and more noticeable and climate-dependent hazards become more frequent - heat and cold waves, as well as their duration, intense precipitation, which lead to the emergence of mudflow, flood threat and avalanches, and often crop losses, droughts and water scarcity, soil degradation and dust storms, etc. All this directly affects the socio-economic infrastructure, environment, livelihoods, welfare and health of the population.

Adaptation to climate change should become a common and necessary component of planning at all levels of government and in all sectors of the economy of the republic. National adaptation planning will help assess the vulnerability of sectors of the economy to the effects of climate change, take into account the risks associated with climate change, and solve the problems of financing adaptation measures.

This issue was the focus of the training on the economic assessment of climate change adaptation measures and the identification of priority measures, which was held on December 15-16, 2022 in Tashkent. The training was organized as part of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) project, aimed at the most vulnerable sectors of the economy and regions to climate change, to promote medium- and long-term planning of adaptation measures and actions in Uzbekistan.

The project is being implemented in partnership with the Center for Hydrometeorological Service (Uzhydromet), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with financial support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). Timeframe: 2020-2023. Pilot regions: Republic of Karakalpakstan, Khorezm and Bukhara regions. Key sectors: agriculture, water resources, health, housing and emergency management. Objective: Strengthen institutional and technical capacity to develop a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and integrate climate change adaptation into national and subnational planning and budgeting processes in Uzbekistan.

The training was attended by employees of the Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Uzhydromet.

The assessment of adaptation measures aims to take into account the economic, ecosystem and social costs and benefits, as well as the potential for unintended (positive or negative) impacts of adaptation measures on the population, sectors of the economy and the environment. Reliable estimates of the costs and benefits of adaptation provide the basis for budgeting and value for money assessments of interventions.

The key issues to consider when choosing an appropriate tool for economic assessment and prioritization of adaptation actions are:

What are the costs and benefits of each adaptation option? Is it possible to isolate and calculate (measure in monetary terms) all costs and benefits?

How can adaptation options be best implemented and what are the conditions for achieving a result?

Is it possible to identify and measure in monetary terms co-benefits between adaptation and development options?

National experts of the project, based on studies of world experience, climatic and socio-economic characteristics of Uzbekistan, developed recommendations for the economic assessment of climate change measures and prioritization in the adaptation process.

During the training, the participants were provided with information on measures to adapt to climate change and its consequences, as well as the criteria for choosing priorities were analyzed. In particular, the methods of cost-benefit analysis, profitability method, multi-criteria analysis, methods of investment analysis were considered during theoretical and practical classes.

Also, the training participants received detailed information on the legal framework for environmental regulation and benefits. After reviewing foreign experience in environmental and economic incentives, we studied and discussed how financing and budgeting of climate change adaptation measures are carried out.

Trainings on the economic evaluation of adaptation measures will also be held in the pilot regions of the project.