CAREC Institute Releases New Report on Green Transition and Environmental Standards Compliance in CAREC Region

The CAREC Institute has recently published a new report focusing on the green transition in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) region, with a focus on helping countries meet environmental standards. The report, titled “Green Transition in the CAREC Region: Enabling Environmental Standards Compliance,” was supported by the CAREC Think Tank Network (CTTN) Research Grants Program 2025.

CAREC member countries have made commitments under the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, but the region still faces high emission intensity. To address this challenge, the report takes a regional perspective to examine CO₂ emission trends and identify differences in emission levels across sectors in CAREC economies.

The report focuses on environmental standards and eco-labels, which work as market tools to guide both producers and consumers towards low-carbon choices. Given that energy-intensive sectors in CAREC countries have high emissions levels, the study uses panel data to test the effectiveness of energy management standards in practice.

Based on the study, the report offers a three-part policy plan: prioritizes certification for high-emission sectors, simplifies and unifies environmental standards, and strengthens support for companies to meet these standards. These measures are key to ensuring companies strictly adopt and follow environmental standards, supporting the CAREC region’s green transition.