Exploring Central Asia’s glaciers through VR developed under the GEF–UNDP–UNESCO Cryosphere Project
Glaciers in Central Asia are rapidly shrinking due to climate change, threatening livelihoods, ecosystems, and water security across the region. To raise awareness of these impacts, the GEF-financed regional project “Strengthening the Resilience of Central Asian Countries by Enabling Regional Cooperation to Assess Glacio-nival Systems to Develop Integrated Methods for Sustainable Development and Adaptation to Climate Change” (GEF-UNDP-UNESCO Cryosphere project), in collaboration with Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) developed an immersive VR experience that takes users through the mountains of Central Asia to explore glaciers and the impacts of climate change.
The VR experience, titled Glacier Lifelines, visualizes real scientific data collected from partner institutions. It features four interactive chapters focused on irrigation, hydropower, glacier monitoring, and disaster risk reduction. Each chapter presents a real-life location, illustrating climate-related challenges and engaging users in interactive tasks to explore potential solutions.
Sets of VR headsets will be provided to universities in all five participating Central Asian countries to support education and awareness-raising on climate change. To ensure effective use of the technology, the Cryosphere Project organized a two-day training in November 2025 at the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty. Visual designers Noemi Chow and Jonas Christen from ZHdK introduced representatives of partner universities to the use and maintenance of VR equipment and shared insights on how immersive technologies can support education and outreach on climate change.
“Virtual reality is a great tool to teach about climate change. This technology can take you to remote locations, simulate reality or future scenarios, add interactions and gamifications. It is a very emotional approach that can help to tell a story in a new way, and I think this creative storytelling can reach people on a different level,” said Noemi Chow, Visual Designer at the Department of Design, Zurich University of the Arts.
The training was attended by representatives of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kyrgyz National University named after Jusup Balasagyn, the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmen Agricultural University named after S.A. Niyazov, and Mirzo Ulugbek National University of Uzbekistan.
The Glacier Lifelines experience is complemented by a dedicated Knowledge Hub that provides background information, data, and the scientific story behind the VR tool: https://glacier-lifelines.cryosphereca.org.
For more information, visit the Cryosphere Project website: https://cryosphereca.org.
About the project
The project “Strengthening the Resilience of Central Asian Countries by Enabling Regional Cooperation to Assess Glacio-nival Systems to Develop Integrated Methods for Sustainable Development and Adaptation to Climate Change” is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through UNDP and implemented by UNESCO. It aims to address the region’s critical environmental challenge: the degradation of snow, glacier, and permafrost systems (glacio-nival systems), which are vital sources of water for Central Asian countries. These systems play a crucial role in supporting agriculture, energy, and everyday water supply, making their preservation essential for the livelihoods of millions.
By fostering regional cooperation, the project encourages Central Asian nations to develop joint strategies for managing and protecting their shared water resources, especially as climate change continues to threaten the stability of these glacio-nival systems. The outcomes of the project will feed into broader regional strategies, helping countries adapt to future changes in the cryosphere and strengthen their resilience to climate impacts.
For more information on the project, please contact the Project Manager, Larissa Kogutenko at l.kogutenko@unesco.org, and visit the project page on iwlearn.net.
Worbs by Altyntomiris Baltabayeva. Photos by UNESCO.