DUSHANBE, September 23, 2009, Asia-Plus — The necessity has become ripe to take urgent measures to develop and use the renewable energy resources and power-efficient technologies that reduce the level of dependence on traditional types of energy causing serious damage to the environment, President Emomali Rahmon remarked during discussions at the UN Climate Change Summit in New York on September 22, according to report in Russian published on the UN website..
Tajik leader noted that energy and industry sectors accounted for the main share of greenhouse gas emissions. In Central Asia, heat power plants account for some 70 percent of the overall volume of electricity generated in the region releasing million tons of greenhouse gas into atmosphere.
“Meanwhile, the region has rich reserves of water and power resources, however, at present the region is using only 10 percent of these reserves,” said President Rahmon. “Tajikistan alone has reserves of water and power resources in the amount of 527billion kWh, which exceeds Central Asia’s requirements three times.”
Tajik leader stressed that development of water and power resources would allow not only reducing carbon dioxide emissions, it would also allow generating ecologically pure and cheap electrical power that would allow hoping for getting carbon credits under the Kyoto Protocol.
President Rahmon noted that Tajikistan had headed for complex development of existing water-and-energy potential that would allow meeting increasing national requirements and requirements of neighboring countries.
President Rahmon also warned nations of the dangers of global warming and climate change facing the Central Asian states stressing that glacial resources of the region had reduced by one-third. He expressed hope that the summit in New York would become another important stage in preparations for a meeting in Copenhagen that is expected to adopt an agreement on all aspects of joint and coordinated counteraction to climate change and its negative consequences.
