Natalia Idrisova | |
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 | |
| Born | |
| Nationality | Tajikistani |
| Known for | one of BBC's 100 women in 2023 |
Natalia Idrisova is a Tajikistani green energy consultant whose work was recognised in 2024 when she was one of the BBCs 100 most inspiring women.
Natalia Idrisova | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Born | |
| Nationality | Tajikistani |
| Known for | one of BBC's 100 women in 2023 |
Natalia Idrisova is a Tajikistani green energy consultant whose work was recognised in 2024 when she was one of the BBCs 100 most inspiring women.
Idrisova was born in about 1987 [1] in Dushanbe. Her family were natural conservationists and they brought up their children to think the same. They cared for animals, they did not pick flowers or waste food. In time, her brother started a small non-profit which he named "Little Earth". She became an enthusiastic supporter of her brother's initiative in 2014. [2]
Little Earth works in the mountainous areas of her country where the people have insuffient energy for their own heating. Both firewood and electricity are in short supply. They deliver training and solar powered lights and cookers and energy saving devices like pressure cookers. [3] The local women's time is filled with caring for their livestock and children and gathering firewood. The new ideas and equipment create some free time and ideas, but the decisions are traditionally made in the society by men. She and Little Earth encourage women to feel empowered. [2] She believes that public understanding of environmental issues is low which strengthens the hands of larger companies. She gives the example of trees being cut down. Profit is made, but the locals may have casualties from a landslide that would have prevented by tree roots. [1] People can influence decisions if they are better informed about the underlying issues. [3] Idrisova is on the committee of a pressure group called Climate Action Network - Eastern Europe, Caucacus and Central Asia (CANEECA) [4] - who tackle climate related issues. She sees that a large barrier to change in under developed countries is the balance of power. She says that activists in poor countries do not make climate-related decisions. [4]
She is a critic of her country's energy policy. In per-capita terms her country is the poorest in central Asia. The majority of the power comes from hydro sources but the topping up is achieved by fossil fueled power stations and China was funding the building of more capacity. Tajiskan is committed to improving its contribution to controlling climate. Electric cars are being adopted but Idrisova suspects that they may be running on electrity formed in a fossil fuel based power station. [5]
Journalists can influence decisions and she led a master-class on climate related issues in May 2023. [6] In autumn 2023 she was named as one of the BBC's 100 women of influence. [3]
Central Asia is a subregion of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the southwest and Eastern Europe in the northwest to Western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian suffix "-stan" in both respective native languages and most other languages.
The economy of Tajikistan is dependent upon agriculture and services. Since independence, Tajikistan has gradually followed the path of transition economy, reforming its economic policies. With foreign revenue precariously dependent upon exports of cotton and aluminium, the economy is highly vulnerable to external shocks. Tajikistan's economy also incorporates a massive black market, primarily focused on the drug trade with Afghanistan. Heroin trafficking in Tajikistan is estimated to be equivalent to 30-50% of national GDP as of 2012.
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Environmental issues in Tajikistan include concentrations of agricultural chemicals and salts in the soil and groundwater, poor management of water resources, and soil erosion. Additionally, because of inadequate sanitation facilities, untreated industrial waste and sewage combine with agricultural runoff to cause water pollution in the Aral Sea Basin. Soviet-Era mining operations in Tajikistan extracted and processed uranium, gold, antimony, tungsten, mercury, and molybdenum, each of which is known to leave toxic waste that also threatens water quality. Pockets of high air pollution caused by industry and motor vehicles have resulted in Tajikistan ranking 133rd in the world in greenhouse gas emissions. Air pollution is a particular problem during times of the year when atmospheric conditions hold industrial and vehicle emissions close to the surface in urban areas. In summer, dust and sand from the deserts of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan cause air pollution across the entire southwestern lowland region.
In the early 1960s, an interest in women and their connection with the environment was sparked largely by Ester Boserup's book Woman's Role in Economic Development. Starting in the 1980s, policy makers and governments became more mindful of the connection between the environment and gender issues. Changes regarding natural resource and environmental management were made with the specific role of women in mind. According to the World Bank in 1991, "Women play an essential role in the management of natural resources, including soil, water, forests and energy...and often have a profound traditional and contemporary knowledge of the natural world around them". Whereas women were previously neglected or ignored, there was increasing attention to the impact of women on the natural environment and, in return, the effects the environment has on the health and well-being of women. The gender-environment relations have ramifications in regard to the understanding of nature between men and women, the management and distribution of resources and responsibilities, and the day-to-day life and well-being of people.
The 2008 Central Asia energy crisis was an energy shortage in Central Asia, which, combined with the severe weather of the 2007-08 winter and high prices for food and fuel, caused considerable hardship for many. The abnormally cold weather pushed demand up for electricity, exacerbating the crisis. The situation was most dire in Tajikistan. An international appeal was made by the United Nations, NGOs, and the Red Cross and Red Crescent for around US$25 million to assist the government. At the time, The UN warned that millions face starvation during the 2008-09 winter.
This page examines the dynamics surrounding women in Tajikistan.
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