Uzbekistan steps up Aral Sea recovery and support for green business
Uzbekistan has announced two major environmental initiatives: the expansion of ecological recovery projects in Karakalpakstan, the region most affected by the Aral Sea crisis and the upcoming launch of a national green certification system for businesses.
The announcements were made on the sidelines of Eco Expo Central Asia 2025, which served as a platform to highlight Uzbekistan's ongoing environmental reforms.
In recent years, more than 2 million hectares of vegetation have been planted on the dried seabed of the Aral Sea in Karakalpakstan, a region once known for its ecological devastation.
The afforestation has reduced dust storms and improved local air and soil conditions. Now, the government is entering a new phase of work in the region, focused on biosaline agriculture - using salty water to irrigate crops, climate-resilient farming and sustainable water use.
'Our goal is to transform Karakalpakstan from an environmental disaster zone into a model of sustainable development,' Aziz Abdukhakimov, Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change told Euronews.
'This is where nature, economy, and community can exist in balance'.
A dedicated Karakalpakstan pavilion at the Expo showcased these efforts and invited new international partnerships.
Another major step announced at the Expo is the launch of a national green certification programme, aimed at helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) transition to cleaner, more sustainable practices.
'Many businesses still view environmental standards as a burden,' Abdukhakimov said.
'This initiative will shift that perception by improving access to green financing, international grants, and concessional loans'.
The programme will be implemented in collaboration with green banks and development partners, making it easier for SMEs to adopt eco-friendly technologies and practices.
Sabine Mahl, UN Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan, welcomed the announcements, highlighting the country's effort to balance climate action with social equity.
'In Uzbekistan, we see strong progress toward a just transition — protecting the environment while also supporting the most vulnerable', she said. Mahl also praised the Aral Sea programme as a globally relevant model of ecological restoration.
The national pavilion at Eco Expo is more than just a display. It's a platform for partnership, dialogue, and innovation aimed at shaping a sustainable tourism agenda and green economy across Central Asia.
With representatives from over 30 countries and 20 international organisations, the event served as a platform not just for showcasing technologies, but for setting new policy directions.
For Uzbekistan, the Expo was a way to show what it's doing to protect the climate and grow in a greener way.
The 32°C heat expected in large parts of England tomorrow has been made 100 times more likely by human-caused climate change, an extremely rapid scientific analysis shows.
Prior to the mass burning of coal, oil and gas, a day reaching 32°C heat in June would be extremely rare in the UK - arriving once every 2,500 years on average. Now, with the world teetering 1.3°C above pre-industrial times, such days will strike once every five years.
That's according to the World Weather Attribution (WWA), an international team of scientists who analyse the possible influence of climate change on extreme weather events. They typically take longer to produce a full attribution analysis, which uses climate models and weather data.
Today's report is a slimmer, lightning-fast piece of research that highlights the 'overlooked threat' of extreme heat on people's health.
'It is totally insane we have political leaders in the UK trying to drag us back to the past with calls for more fossil fuels,' says co-author Dr Friederike Otto, Associate Professor in Climate Science at Imperial College London's Centre for Environmental Policy.
'The climate will continue to drive increasingly dangerous heatwaves, fires and floods in the UK until emissions are reduced to net zero globally.'
WWA's analysis follows a Met Office report released on Wednesday, which found the UK's chance of 40°C days has been increasing rapidly and is now over 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s.
A week of intense heat in the UK is expected to peak on Saturday, with temperatures as high as 34°C possible in eastern England according to the Met Office forecast on Thursday.
In the UK, a heatwave is called when temperatures exceed a certain threshold, which varies from region to region, for three consecutive days. In southeast England, that level is 28°C.
WWA's study shows that these heatwave conditions are now 10 times more likely due to climate change. Before humans heated the climate with fossil fuels, such events were expected every 50 years. Today, the likelihood is every five years.
Overall, June heatwaves are now 2-4°C more intense due to climate change, the scientists say. A previous WWA analysis of the 2022 UK heatwave - when temperatures exceeded 40°C for the first time - found that climate change made the temperatures 2°C hotter and about 100 times more likely.
'Saturday could well end up being the hottest day so far this year, with highs around 33°C locally from Lincolnshire to the London area,' Lars Lowinski, a meteorologist at Weather and Radar who wasn't involved in the study, told Euronews Green earlier in the week.
'This is quite exceptional for June. The highest 21 June so far was in 2017 when 34.5°C was recorded in the London area. The overall June record in the UK is 35.6°C in 1976.'
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an Amber Heat Health Alert for the whole of England, from midday yesterday until 9am on Monday 23 June, to prepare the health and social care sector.
'For the most vulnerable, temperatures above 28°C are dangerous in the UK, especially in June, before people have acclimatised to hotter weather,' says Maja Vahlberg, technical advisor at Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, and WWA report co-author.
'Sadly, most people die from heat indoors and alone, especially older populations and people with underlying health conditions, such as lung or heart disease.'
Dr Agostinho Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA, has urged people to 'check on friends, family and neighbours who are more vulnerable and to take sensible precautions while enjoying the sun.'
But WWA's report points to more structural issues too, flagging the need for urgent climate adaptation in the UK.
Dr Otto describes the way heat risks are magnified by inequality: 'People working in air-conditioned offices will probably be okay this week, but poorer people working outdoors, in kitchens, and in other hot environments endure these conditions all day and then return to poorly insulated flats that can become dangerously hot.
'Making our societies more equal is essential to reduce the impacts of climate change.'
Theodore Keeping, wildfire researcher at Imperial College London's Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, also flags the high risk of wildfires this week - given soaring temperatures follow an extremely dry spring.
'People going outside to enjoy the warm weather should not be using fire or disposable barbecues, dispose of cigarette butts carefully and should immediately notify emergency services if they do notice a fire,' he says.
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Dr Otto describes the way heat risks are magnified by inequality: 'People working in air-conditioned offices will probably be okay this week, but poorer people working outdoors, in kitchens, and in other hot environments endure these conditions all day and then return to poorly insulated flats that can become dangerously hot. 'Making our societies more equal is essential to reduce the impacts of climate change.' Theodore Keeping, wildfire researcher at Imperial College London's Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, also flags the high risk of wildfires this week - given soaring temperatures follow an extremely dry spring. 'People going outside to enjoy the warm weather should not be using fire or disposable barbecues, dispose of cigarette butts carefully and should immediately notify emergency services if they do notice a fire,' he says.
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Aksoy noted that the UK experienced long and stringent lockdowns, accelerating the adoption of remote work infrastructure and norms. He also explained that the UK's labour market is concentrated in service sectors — such as finance, consulting, and media — where WFH can be a practical option. "Crucially, British workers have developed strong and durable preferences for hybrid work, typically wanting 2–3 WFH days per week. This is no longer a marginal benefit; it's a core expectation," he said. Aksoy warned that firms ignoring this reality may face a serious disadvantage in attracting and retaining talent — particularly when competing with employers in other English-speaking countries that have embraced flexibility. In Europe, Finland (1.7 days) and Germany (1.6 days) followed the UK in the ranking. The WFH rates are also relatively high in Portugal (1.5 days), as well as in Hungary and the Netherlands (both 1.4 days). Employees in Czechia, Italy, and Sweden work from home 1.3 days per week, which is slightly above the global average. Romania, Spain, and Austria align with the global average, each reporting 1.2 remote work days per week. Dr. Aksoy attributes the variation across European countries to a mix of structural, cultural, and economic factors. 'Among these, the most powerful predictor is individualism — a cultural trait that emphasises personal autonomy, self-reliance, and independence over collective goals or close supervision,' he said. He added that other factors also play a role. These include the severity and duration of COVID-19 lockdowns, population density, and the industrial structure of each economy. For instance, countries with a larger share of remote-friendly sectors such as IT and finance are better positioned to support hybrid models. Densely populated countries also often see higher WFH levels, in part due to longer commutes. Greece reports the lowest WFH rate in Europe at just 0.6 days per week. 'Part of the explanation lies in the structure of the Greek economy, which leans heavily on sectors like tourism, retail, and hospitality — jobs that generally require physical presence,' said Aksoy. 'But deeper cultural and institutional factors also play a role. Greece scores relatively low on individualism,' he added. He stated that digital adoption and management practices were relatively underdeveloped before the pandemic, which likely slowed the normalisation of WFH. While Finland ranks second in Europe with 1.7 remote work days per week, Norway and Denmark report significantly lower rates at just 0.9 days. Sweden, with 1.3 days, sits in between, reflecting a clear divide in remote work trends across the Nordic countries. Aksoy explained that Finland has a slightly more individualistic culture and a long-standing emphasis on work-life balance and employee autonomy compared to Denmark and Norway, which may maintain more traditional management practices. 'Finnish organisations, especially in the public sector and technology industries, were early adopters of flexible work policies — even before the pandemic,' he added. Among Europe's five largest economies, France has the lowest remote work rate, with employees averaging just 1 day per week from home. Turkey follows closely at 0.9 days, while Poland is slightly ahead with 1.1 days. Overall levels of working from home have declined globally, dropping from an average of 1.6 days per week in 2022 to 1.33 days in 2023. In 2024 and 2025, they fell far more modestly to 1.27 days. The research concludes that remote work levels have roughly stabilised since 2023. 'However, this stability doesn't mean stasis. Incremental shifts could still occur — driven by new technologies, changing demographics, or evolving labour market conditions,' Aksoy added.
