The first IMPRESSIONS Central Asia workshop took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 16-17 February 2015. The Central Asia case study focuses on the impacts of high-end climate change in the region, comprising Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The workshop gathered many stakeholders from the region and beyond, including the EU and Russia, coming from NGOs, private companies, international organisations and research institutions, with expertise in key field such as energy, agriculture, water and security.
Following a professionally facilitated process, the experts firstly developed storylines for the region, detailing key uncertainties such as policy and governance, water management, migration and economic development. In addition, the impacts of high-end climate change on these storylines were discussed at the end of the workshop.
The next two Central Asia workshops will be held in 2016 and 2017, and will focus on the indirect impacts of high-end climate change in Central Asia on China and Russia, and the EU. These workshops will explore adaptation and mitigation pathways, and develop innovative policy strategies and responses.