Kyrgyzstan has adopted Central Asia's first framework climate law, signed by President Sadyr Japarov on July 7, 2026. The law puts emissions policy, climate finance, carbon units, and adaptation under one legal structure. It replaces a narrower 2007 statute and gives the government a legal base for a national carbon registry, low-carbon development plans, and resilience measures. The law takes effect on January 1, 2027, and the Cabinet has six months to align existing regulations. The law arrives as glacier loss threatens water supply and hydropower, which provides about 90% of the country's electricity. Kyrgyzstan targets carbon neutrality by 2050 and aims for a 16.32% cut in net emissions by 2035 without foreign support, or 38.56% with international finance. The government estimates it needs $12 to $15 billion for mitigation and adaptation through 2035. A $50 million World Bank carbon finance initiative and a UNDP green finance partnership with Eldik Bank are already underway. The Cabinet must now write the rules for carbon accounting, the national registry, and how climate finance flows.
