INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY: THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR A REGIONAL ANALYSIS OF UZBEKISTAN

This article systematises theoretical approaches to the concept of environmental security and reviews the principal models used to explain the relationship between economic and industrial growth and environmental quality, including the IPAT identity, the Limits to Growth framework, and the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. Drawing on international experience, particularly that of China and Germany, and a critical review of three recent empirical studies on Uzbekistan and Central Asia, the article demonstrates that existing research has predominantly focused on aggregate national-level analysis, while the pronounced territorial differences in industrial and environmental pressures within the country require further regional-level examination. The regulatory and institutional framework for ensuring environmental security in Uzbekistan is also analysed separately. The article concludes that a transition towards regional panel-data analysis of the relationship between industrial development and environmental indicators would contribute to addressing the identified research gap and provide a more comprehensive basis for assessing sustainable regional development.