Climate Change in Central Asia : Decarbonization, Energy Transition and Climate Policy

This open access book explores climate change impacts, adaptation, and mitigation in Central Asia and discusses policy options for the Central Asian governments. To address the urgent need for local scholarship on climate change in Central Asia, and in particular the need for more research by social scientists, this book features a wide range of contributions on climate change impacts, adaptation and mitigation in the region. Each chapter makes an important contribution to social science scholarship on climate change and decarbonization in Central Asia. Topics include decarbonization opportunities, carbon pricing instruments, the geo-economics of the energy transition, the relationship between human mobility and climate change. The book thus offers valuable insights for both academics and policymakers.

Rahat Sabyrbekov is a Postdoctoral researcher at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. He obtained a PhD in economics from Norwegian University of Life Sciences and has been working on topics related to environment, energy, and natural resources. Rahat has contributed to the global and local research projects lead by Intergovernmental Platform for Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity Assessment (IPBES), United Nations Development Program, World Bank, International Finance Corporation and national government bodies of the Kyrgyz Republic. Rahat also served as a visiting fellow at Duke University.

Indra Overland is Research Professor and Head of the Research Group on Climate and Energy at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). He previously headed the Russia and Eurasia Research Group at NUPI and has worked on Central Asia since 2001. He completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge in the year 2000, followed by a three-year post-doctoral project on Central Asia. He has been responsible for cooperation between the OSCE Academy in Bishkek and NUPI since 2007.

Roman Vakulchuk is a senior research fellow and Head of the the Energy Programme at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). He holds a PhD degree in economics obtained from Jacobs University Bremen, Germany. His main geographical specialization is countries of Central Asia and Southeast Asia. He publishes on economic transition, climate change, renewable energy, trade, infrastructure, and investment policy. Vakulchuk has work experience as a project leader within research projects organized by among others the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Climate Foundation (ECF), the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), OECD, the MFA of Norway and the Research Council of Norway. Roman also worked at the oil company Shell in Germany.