Green Transition and Health Resilience in the Aral Sea Region: Spotlighting the Interconnectedness

The Aral Sea crisis stands as one of the world’s most visible examples of how environmental mismanagement and climate change converge to create long-term, intergenerational health risks. As Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan advance their green economy transitions, this brief highlights a critical, time-sensitive opportunity: aligning climate action, environmental rehabilitation, and economic restructuring with a coordinated health resilience agenda. The emerging evidence shows that health impacts - ranging from chronic respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular stress to waterborne diseases and mental health challenges - will intensify unless health systems, environmental monitoring, and community adaptation capacities are strengthened in an integrated manner.