Please join the Russia and Eurasia Program and the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy (CIERP) at The Fletcher School for a lunch seminar about the growing challenges of climate change and hydro policy within the context of Central Asia with Asel Murzakulova, Senior Research Fellow at the Graduate School of Development at the University of Central Asia. The conversation will be moderated by Professor Melissa McCracken.

Central Asia is experiencing a faster rate of temperature increase than the global average, leading to a heightened frequency of extreme weather events, including increased aridity, prolonged droughts, glacier melt, and declining agricultural productivity. Variability in snowfall in the region’s mountainous areas further exacerbates challenges related to water availability, placing additional pressure on ecosystems and agriculture. 

Murzakulova will examine the transformation of hydro-policies in Central Asia since 1991, evaluating their effectiveness and limitations within the broader context of climate change and institutional reforms. She will provide a critical analysis of biophysical, social, and institutional dynamics to identify the key factors shaping future conflict and cooperation over water resources within Central Asia. By mapping these transformation pathways, she hopes to explore sub-basin management approaches that could enhance water security in light of Central Asia’s changing climate. 

We encourage you to read the following articles by Murzakulova in advance about Central Asian perspectives on climate change, the impact of migration on regional infrastructure, and the drivers of conflict within the Isfara river basin in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

The event is open to members of the Fletcher and Tufts communities and invited guests. Please register via the following Monday.com form to attend the event in person. Lunch will be served following the conversation. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions, and we will do our best to accommodate you. 

Asel Murzakulova is a Senior Research Fellow at the Graduate School of Development at the University of Central Asia and Co-Founder of the analytical club “Mongu.” She has extensive work experience with governmental, international, and civil organizations in Central Asia. In 2008, she was a visiting scholar at the Davis Center at Harvard University and, in 2013, at the Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of California in Berkeley. In 2023, she was invited as a scholar at IRES Uppsala University. Her research covers border dynamics and human mobility, environmental change, natural resource management, and nationalism. Currently, she is engaged in environmental security and conflict-related research, focusing on resource management challenges across the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan borders. In 2013, she was awarded the International Medal of the Commission of National Education of Poland for her contribution to the development of civic education in Kyrgyzstan.