The ATO green roads profiles present country-level perspectives on how 35 Asia-Pacific economies are addressing the development and management of sustainable eco-friendly roads. Drawing from diverse datasets and policy documents, the profiles highlight practices and measures that contribute to greener transport infrastructure.

Developed by the Asian Transport Observatory (ATO) in partnership with the International Road Federation (IRF), the profiles are designed to complement the Green Roads Toolkit. The toolkit provides a practical reference for integrating good practices across nine dimensions:

• Decarbonization
• Climate resilience
• Water and land management
• Pollution reduction
• Conserving biodiversity
• Responsible sourcing of materials
• Improving quality of life
• Disaster preparedness
• Fostering inclusive growth

This 2025 edition builds on earlier work to provide a comprehensive resource for guiding the planning, development, construction, and management of greener, more sustainable roads.

Tajikistan's rugged yet majestic landscape makes its road network crucial for the economy. Covering about 139,000 square kilometers, the country depends on 43,800 kilometers of roads to connect its communities. However, this infrastructure faces three main challenges: decarbonizing to meet climate goals, strengthening against climate volatility, and expanding access so no citizen is left behind.

The carbon profile of Tajikistan's transport sector presents a distinct paradox. The country sits on a formidable asset for decarbonization: a hydropower-dominated energy mix with a grid emission factor of just 98 gCO2 per kWh in 2024—drastically cleaner than the Asia-Pacific average of 559. However, the transport sector has not yet tapped into this clean reservoir. Instead, road transport accounts for the entirety of the sector's emissions and 10% of economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) output. More concerning is the trajectory; while economy-wide emissions grew at a manageable 3.2% annually since 2000, road transport emissions surged by 17.9% per year. This divergence suggests that without intervention, the transport sector will increasingly become the primary driver of the country's carbon liability.

The heavy reliance on fossil fuels extracts a high price beyond carbon. Subsidies for petroleum mask the true external costs to society, which manifest violently in road crashes (81% of external costs), congestion, and physical road damage. The human toll is significant, with the World Health Organization estimating 1,352 road crash fatalities in 2021. The economic burden of road crashes in Tajikistan is substantial. Fatalities and serious injuries cost an estimated 338 million USD in 2021, equivalent to roughly 4% of the country's GDP. This figure underscores the significant impact on the economy, families, productivity, and healthcare systems. In Tajikistan, road crash fatalities decreased by approximately -3.6% per year between 2016 and 2021. However, this is not enough to reach the 2030 target to halve the fatalities by 2030.

Simultaneously, the physical integrity of the network is under siege from environmental stressors. Since 2000, the country has weathered 57 recorded natural disasters, with flooding and landslides accounting for nearly two-thirds of these events. The financial haemorrhage is significant; Tajikistan faces estimated average annual losses of 14.5 million USD to transport infrastructure, with 91% of these losses concentrated in the road sector. Looking forward, the vulnerabilities deepen. Under a 4.5-degree warming scenario, nearly a quarter (23%) of road and rail assets would be exposed to more frequent and extreme precipitation.

A truly green road network must also address the "silent crisis" of air quality. In 2022, the transport sector contributed 451 tonnes of PM 2.5 emissions, entirely attributable to road traffic. The economic friction of this pollution is immense; the World Bank estimates that health damages from PM 2.5 exposure cost the country 1.9 billion USD in 2019, equivalent to roughly 6% of GDP.

Despite these challenges, the structural foundations for a transition are visible. The UNEP E-mobility Readiness Index scores Tajikistan at 59 out of 100, indicating a moderate baseline for adopting electric vehicles. Transitioning the fleet—currently composed of 58% light-duty vehicles —to electric traction would leverage the clean grid, immediately decoupling mobility from carbon and tailpipe pollutants.

However, technology alone cannot solve the equity deficit. The current network configuration leaves 2.8 million rural residents—a vast segment of the population—beyond the reach of all-season roads. This isolation severs access to healthcare, education, and markets, reinforcing cycles of poverty. Urban areas fare little better in terms of inclusivity; among eight urban agglomerations, only 20% of residents have access to public transport in the majority of cities. Furthermore, the sector remains heavily gender-imbalanced, with women comprising a mere 9.9% of the total transport workforce.

The imperative for policymakers is to pivot from a focus on simple road expansion to a strategy of "efficient connectivity." Current expansion and maintenance consume an estimated 4.3 million tonnes of material annually, embodying significant carbon emissions. Moreover, road encroachment into ecological sanctuaries is high, with 19 of Tajikistan's 20 Key Biodiversity Areas already containing road infrastructure.

Addressing the rural access gap requires a shift from high-speed corridors to resilient local feeder networks that bring the 2.8 million isolated citizens into the economic fold. A Green Road in Tajikistan is ultimately one that withstands the flood, runs on the river's power, and serves the remote village as reliably as the capital.

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