Dr. Hayam Qayyoum
Snr. Assistant Professor Department of Media Studies Bahria University Islamabad (drhqpk@gmail.com)
The climate change issue is changing the world’s geography, hitting the coastal areas, thawing glaciers, causing flood tragedies, hailstorm calamities, and earthquake catastrophes, affecting the Caspian basin and South and Central Asia. Extreme weather not only disrupts the ecosystem but also impacts the port networks that connect the Arabian Sea ports to Eurasia.
The Trans-Caspian Asian nexus, with its initiatives like the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), the Ashgabat Agreement, QTTA, and the Trans Afghan Multimodal Corridor, prioritizes a single agenda to transform all ports (Sea, roads, and rails) into green ports. This is the only way to sustain continuous trade between the regional and Eurasian borders.
Nonetheless, Ports of Pakistan (Gwadar and Port Qasim) face rising sea levels, and the decrease of Caspian water at Baku and Aktau ports is at climate peril. These ports handle tons of trade and cargo transitions daily, compromising human health, destroying marine life, and jeopardizing the shelf life of products.
The emissions from huge machinery and diesel vehicles, cranes, and forklifts used during port operations increase carbon emissions, too. Green port aids not only the port’s infrastructure, but it will also reduce climate risk and decrease the emission of greenhouse gases.
Moreover, Pakistan’s National Renewable Energy Policy is targeted to attain 60% energy from natural resources by 2030, leading to an increase in solar project investments.
A hybrid solution, a combination of batteries and grids, is another way to address the energy needs of the Gwadar port. For instance, sustaining energy and fossil fuel dependency reduction can be achieved by maximizing the utilization of an offshore wind project near Baku.
Kazakhstan has a plan for a hybrid solar-wind park on the coasts of the Mangistau region, near the city of Zhanaozen at the Caspian Sea coast.
The most climate-friendly transit can be made possible among various ports, especially the cross-Caspian, through hybrid shipping. Waste and water management are yet another issue that calls for careful consideration to save the marine ecosystem.
To fulfill the freshwater needs at Gwadar, a desalination solar plant is a better option. Whereas Baku controlled the transportation of harmful marine bacteria and viruses, killing fisheries and disturbing the Caspian marine biodiversity by engineering an appropriate ballast water management system.
After diligent efforts aiming to save the marine ecosystem, the Port of Baku received Eco Port certification in 2019 and 2021 to fulfill the mission of reaching net-zero emissions by 2035.
To safeguard and long-term viability of Baku port, an ethical pledge was taken by Azerbaijan and the UN Global Compact, addressing 11 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. The OSCE-led regional project (Promoting Green Ports and Connectivity in the Caspian Sea Region) launched in Baku (2019) that bringing three “stans” (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan) to work on digitalization among ports.
Azerbaijan is also exporting green electricity for the submarine cables in the Caspian and black seas. Pakistan kept the pace and agreed on green shipping and sustainable port operations that will be an eco-friendly initiative towards the sustainability of biodiversity and the marine ecosystem, with Denmark, in April 2025.
The other intriguing step is the maritime chamber of commerce and industry announced by Pakistan’s Maritime Affairs Minister in May 2025. For all the above activities, climate-resilient infrastructure and engineering solutions are required for the smooth running of port activities within the nexus and for connecting it to Eurasia.
The other subsequent accomplishment is the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the White House on 8th August 2025, concentrated on the Zangezur Corridor, funded by the US, which is also known as TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity), connecting directly to Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic and Azerbaijan, for the next 99 years, excluding southern Armenian checkpoints.
This would open doors for land, sea, and rail trades for Pakistan, the Caspian, Central Asian, to other parts of the globe.
A way forward is a unified digitalized system among Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan that will overcome waste of time, fuel consumption, and carbon emissions. For a greener Nexus, a unified blockchain cargo tracking system, like digital ledger and record maintenance, RFID tagging, and a temperature management system, has the potential to lessen the congestion, lower costs, minimize biodiversity pollution, and cut down fuel and energy wastage.
Above all, the Charter between the Caspian region, Pakistan, and Central Asia for the green ports is the catalyst for bolstering the geo and trade-strategic position of this Nexus. It will open doors for global institutions for green financing without burdening the national budgets of the countries.
