Bishkek Global Mountain Summit to focus on climate adaptation

The summit will discuss the adaptation to the changing living conditions caused by rising global temperatures.

According to international climate institutions, while the average global temperature has risen by 1.3 to 1.5 degrees Celsius over the past 50 years, warming in mountainous regions has been occurring at nearly twice that rate. Scientists warn that this process has accelerated in recent decades. Rapid temperature increases are driving glacier degradation, natural disasters, severe storms, heat waves, and droughts.

For more than two decades, Kyrgyzstan has actively promoted climate risk mitigation and adaptation initiatives on international platforms, particularly within the framework of the United Nations. At Kyrgyzstan’s initiative, the UN General Assembly proclaimed the Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions in 2022.

The upcoming global summit in Bishkek, convened at the level of heads of state, will review interim results and launch a new phase of programs and projects to address the impacts of climate change.

Speaking at an international meeting, President Sadyr Zhaparov highlighted the consequences of global warming for Kyrgyzstan and the risks it poses for the future. Over the past several decades, the country has lost approximately 20 percent of its glaciers once considered permanent. Current melting rates suggest that by 2040 Kyrgyzstan could lose up to 40 percent of its water resources, and by the end of the century as much as 80 percent.

Kyrgyzstan warns that the disappearance of glaciers in mountainous countries will have far-reaching consequences, potentially undermining water security across vast continental regions. The country is therefore calling on the international community to intensify collective efforts before the process becomes irreversible.

Experts emphasize that mitigating climate risks and ensuring economic stability are closely interconnected. Large-scale projects require substantial financial resources; by supporting mountain countries, the international community is also investing in its own future.

In mountain regions where climate change is advancing at an accelerated pace, coordinated and timely action is essential. Investment in these territories must be prioritized, as states where 90 percent or more of the land consists of mountain ranges cannot, by definition, be highly affluent. With limited resources, they cannot independently implement large-scale glacier preservation or climate adaptation projects.  

Earlier, it was reported that Kyrgyzstan promoted mountain agenda at COP30 in Brazil.