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.

Uzbekistan's distinct geography requires a transport network that is as robust as it is extensive. Spanning roughly 441,000 square kilometers, the nation relies on a road network of 179,900 kilometers to bind its economy together. While only 3% of this infrastructure consists of motorways or primary roads, the vast majority—92%—is comprised of local and rural roads, serving as the critical capillaries for the country's 36.4 million people. As the country modernizes, the challenge lies in decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation while ensuring that the infrastructure stock remains resilient to a shifting climate.

The carbon footprint of mobility presents a complex picture of rising absolute emissions tempered by significant efficiency gains. By 2024, road transport generated 18.3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e), accounting for 98% of the transport sector's total emissions and 8% of economy-wide emissions. Since 2000, these emissions have grown by 3.1% annually, outpacing the 1.2% growth rate of economy-wide emissions. This trajectory is driven by a rapid increase in motorization, which climbed from 186 vehicles per thousand population in 2000 to 209 in 2024.

Yet, the efficiency of the Uzbek economy regarding transport emissions has improved markedly. The emissions intensity—measured against GDP—plummeted from 139 grams of CO2e per USD in 1990 to just 42 grams in 2024. Since 2015, this intensity has improved by 4.7% per year, a rate that outperforms the Asia-Pacific average reduction of 5.4%. Despite this progress, Uzbekistan's intensity remains higher than the Asia-Pacific average of 26 grams per USD, suggesting that structural inefficiencies persist alongside rapid economic growth.

A quiet revolution is underway in the composition of the vehicle fleet. Between 2015 and 2024, the value of electric vehicle (EV) imports reached 2.0 billion USD, and by 2024, EVs represented a significant 28% of total road vehicle imports. This shift is currently skewed toward light-duty vehicles (LDVs), which make up 91% of EV imports, while goods vehicles and buses comprise just 5%.

However, this transition faces friction from fiscal policy. Fossil fuel subsidies in the transport sector rose from roughly 1.9 billion USD between 2010 and 2015 to 3.1 billion USD in the 2016-2023 period. These subsidies do more than distort market prices; they incur heavy external costs. The societal price tag of petroleum use manifests primarily in road crashes (73% of external costs), followed by congestion (21%) and road damage (6%). UNEP's E-mobility Readiness Index scores Uzbekistan at 79 out of 100, indicating strong potential, though policy and energy alignment lag slightly behind financial readiness.

Building green roads is not solely about mitigation; it is about survival. Uzbekistan faces estimated average annual losses of 8.4 million USD to transport infrastructure, with nearly 70% of this damage sustained by roads. Bridges and tunnels are disproportionately vulnerable, bearing 5.2% of losses despite constituting only 0.2% of the infrastructure.

Climate projections escalate these risks. Under a 4.5-degree increase scenario, more than 19% of the country's road and rail assets would be exposed to more frequent and extreme precipitation. This physical vulnerability is compounded by material inefficiencies. The maintenance and expansion of the network consume an estimated 15.8 million tonnes of material annually, generating nearly 794,000 tonnes of embodied CO2 emissions.

The current transport paradigm exacts a high toll on public health and biodiversity. In 2022, the transport sector contributed about 2,200 tonnes of harmful PM 2.5 emissions, 87% of which originated from road transport. The World Bank estimates the annual cost of health damages from PM 2.5 exposure at 17.9 billion USD, or roughly 7% of GDP. Beyond air quality, the physical safety of the network remains a concern. In 2021, road crashes resulted in 3,155 fatalities. While fatalities decreased by 2% annually between 2016 and 2021, this falls well short of the 7.4% reduction required to halve deaths by 2030.

Furthermore, infrastructure expansion often conflicts with ecological preservation. Research indicates that road infrastructure penetrates 28 of Uzbekistan's 54 key biodiversity areas. A review of 21 road projects suggests they could endanger over 930,000 tonnes of carbon stocks and disrupt nitrogen retention.

Ultimately, the measure of a road network is its utility to the population. A stark divide exists in accessibility: 6.3 million rural residents live beyond the reach of all-season roads, cutting them off from essential services and markets. In urban areas, only 4% of agglomerations provide public transport access to half their population (for cities with data), and merely 38% of urban dwellers have access to healthcare and education within a reasonable 1-kilometer distance.

Achieving a sustainable transport future for Uzbekistan requires a synchronized approach that removes distortive subsidies, hardens infrastructure against climate shocks, and prioritizes the accessibility needs of the rural population. The data suggests that while the technological transition to electric mobility is accelerating, the structural transition toward a safe, resilient, and inclusive network demands more aggressive policy intervention.

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