This is apropos a photograph of Uzbekistan capital Tashkent carried by Business Recorder on its front page yesterday. That a picture is worth one thousand words is a fact that has found its best expression from this newspaper photograph. In other words, a picture can convey a complex idea, story, or ordeal more effectively than a lengthy verbal or written description.
The picture shows Uzbek Muslims performing a prayer for rain outside a mosque on Friday. Uzbek Muslims have held mass prayers, calling for more rain in the Central Asian country suffering severe droughts associated with climate change. Be that as it may, it is a fact that the Central Asian states and Iran are facing severe drought conditions mainly due to low rains and human-induced climate change.
In the case of Sri Lanka in South Asia, for example, the climate change effects are threatening food security and livelihoods. Needless to say, the island nation does not have the required resources to deal with such challenges in any effective and meaningful manner. How ironic it is that the industrialized nations are doing little or nothing in this regard; they have failed to come up with practical solutions to mitigate climate change.
Khaled Karimov (Tashkent)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025