Central Asia’s scarcity of water resources poses critical questions for the region’s future. As climate change leads to decreases in precipitation and higher levels of evaporation, Central Asia’s water-intensive agricultural practices must be carefully examined. The region’s unequal distribution of water and energy resources has often brought upstream and downstream countries into conflict. As water resources dwindle and demands for energy increase, addressing these issues will be vital to regional stability. With these threats growing by the year, cooperation on a meaningful level will be essential to managing the water resources responsibly and fairly.

The Caspian Policy Center will convene leading academic and policy experts to discuss the threats to Central Asia’s water supply and potential solutions to these problems. The panel will speak about international cooperation in securing transboundary water resources, the relationship between energy generation and the water supply, and sustainable agricultural practices. This event is held in conjunction with the release of the Caspian Policy Center’s Policy Brief, “The Vital Resource: Water Management in Central Asia,” which explores the precarious state of Central Asia’s water resources and the opportunities it presents for cooperation.