Climate Crisis - The Times Of Central Asia

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Kazakhstan Under Pressure to Address Environmental Crisis

The United Nations Green Climate Fund (GCF) has pledged $280 million to Kazakhstan for environmental projects, underscoring the country's increasingly urgent ecological challenges. Experts warn that Kazakhstan faces a widening crisis as environmental degradation accelerates. Toward a “Green” Transition Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nyssanbayev announced that the GCF will allocate substantial funding to Kazakhstan to support initiatives in renewable energy, electric transport development, and the adoption of low-carbon industrial technologies. “These investments will accelerate the country's transition to a sustainable, environmentally friendly economy,” Nyssanbayev stated. The minister said that Kazakhstan prepared a national program for GCF funding in 2024, comprising seven major initiatives. These included reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector, strengthening rural water supply systems, modernizing livestock farms, and promoting private-sector green financing. The program's total budget exceeds $1 billion, with $630 million potentially financed by the GCF. Additionally, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) continues to back renewable energy projects in Kazakhstan. Eleven projects with a combined capacity of 330 MW are planned by 2027; nine have already secured financing. A Mounting Environmental Toll Kazakhstan continues to struggle with serious environmental challenges, many rooted in the Soviet-era legacy, and others emerging from modern development pressures. The country faces desertification, flooding, frequent wildfires, and escalating urban air pollution, particularly in cities like Almaty, Pavlodar, and Karaganda. On June 5, the government announced the formation of a Biodiversity Protection Fund at a forum in Astana. Akylbek Kurishbayev, President of the National Academy of Sciences, emphasized the urgency of regional collaboration in biodiversity conservation amid intensifying climate and anthropogenic pressures. Deputy Minister Nurlan Kurmalayev highlighted biodiversity preservation as a key component of environmental security and sustainable land use, calling for cross-border cooperation. In parallel, the national initiative “Green Kazakhstan” is advancing afforestation efforts across urban and rural areas, alongside waste management programs, ecosystem restoration, energy efficiency campaigns, and public education on environmental stewardship. Environmental Disaster Zones: The Caspian and Aral Seas Two of Kazakhstan's most pressing ecological crises involve the shrinking Caspian and Aral Seas. The Caspian Sea's water levels are falling dramatically. According to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, levels in 2024 are expected to drop by 22 cm in the northeast and 29 cm in the eastern Kazakh sector compared to 2023. Scientists warn of continued decline due to reduced inflows from the Volga and Ural rivers and rising global temperatures. TCA has previously reported about mass die-outs of Caspian seals in recent years. Vadim Ni, founder of the Save the Caspian Sea movement, described the crisis as triple-faceted, climate, ecological, and economic. “Its level is falling at an unprecedented rate, 2 meters over the past 20 years. By century’s end, up to one-third of its surface could be lost,” he said, warning that the shallow northern shelf, vital to the ecosystem, is especially at risk. Pollution, overfishing, and unchecked oil extraction are cited as critical threats. In April 2025, Mazhilis Deputy Sergei Ponomarev addressed a parliamentary inquiry to Prime...

Climate Crisis Irrigation Water Syr Darya River Aral Sea Water Management

Strained Currents: Managing the Syr Darya’s Waters

On both banks of the Syr Darya, apartments are springing up. The embankment itself is undergoing extensive renovation. Trucks crawl along, their weight pounding the freshly lain asphalt into shape. Its acrid whiff rankles in the nose for some distance. Kyzylorda’s new Akim, Nurzhan Akhatov, appointed in August 2024, is determined to make the most of his short term in office, explains Kanat Utegenov, founder of LLP ECO GUARD, an ecological laboratory. This makes the new landscaping important. “There is a lot of construction… it is visually noticeable to the population,” he told The Times of Central Asia. “Unfortunately, the economics of it have not necessarily been calculated.” Utegenov cites a new stadium on the left bank of the river as an example of one of these potential white elephant projects. Worse still, all this landscaping is dependent on one critical factor which is only partly under the control of the Akim, and only partly under the control of Kazakhstan. That issue is water. [caption id="attachment_32630" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] The low-running Syr Darya passing through Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan; image: TCA, Joe Luc Barnes[/caption] In late April, the view that a ritzy new apartment buys you is one of sad, sandy banks. Wading birds plod methodically through the mud, looking for worms. The dirty grey river does not so much flow but keeps up a ponderous momentum, inching its way northwest. Some of this water will reach the North Aral Sea, which is being propped up on life support by the Kokaral Dam. Utegenov attributes the low water level as being partly due to climatic change. “Winter has become milder and almost snowless,” he said, adding that it’s not unusual to see a low river in spring. “This is when the rice is planted; all the water goes to the irrigation canals.” Governments across the region are doubling down on rice production, says Bulat Yessekin, an expert on environmental and water policy in Central Asia. However, he points out that growing rice is incredibly inefficient in this part of the world. “If we take into account the full irrigation cycle, five tons (5,000 liters) of water are used to cultivate just one kilo of rice,” he told TCA. However, Kazakhstan’s government is keen to trumpet successes. The use of laser leveling technology in rice fields has helped save over 200 billion liters of water by distributing it more evenly. According to Kazakh state media, this has meant that the yield from each hectare of rice crop has increased by around 60-70%. This has done little to convince Yessekin, who believes this is little more than a sticking plaster. “There was no such need for technology before as there was enough water. Now, such technology has become necessary because otherwise, they will simply not be able to grow the crop. In countries with much greater precipitation, such as Thailand or India, you can grow it, but here there are no prospects for rice. Sooner or later people need to move to other crops.” Yessekin...

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Kazakhstan Prioritizes Nuclear Energy in Long-Term Development Strategy

Kazakhstan has identified the development of nuclear energy as a strategic priority for the country's economic future, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced at the Astana International Forum (AIF). “Kazakhstan, which possesses 40% of the world's uranium reserves, views nuclear energy as a key pillar of its national development strategy,” Tokayev stated. “However, sustainable development is impossible without addressing the climate crisis, particularly as Central Asia is among the region’s most vulnerable to climate change. Global warming is occurring here at twice the global average rate.” To address this, Tokayev outlined Kazakhstan’s commitment to a pragmatic and regionally coordinated climate agenda. He noted the country’s participation in various international organizations and agreements focused on environmental sustainability. In 2026, Kazakhstan, in partnership with the United Nations, will host a Regional Climate Summit, aimed at aligning Central Asian strategies with global environmental ambitions. Tokayev also highlighted the recent establishment of the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty. “This marks a significant step in our multilateral cooperation. The center will facilitate joint projects, provide technical support, and coordinate international efforts,” he said. At the same time, Kazakhstan continues to promote nuclear non-proliferation. “Today, nine countries possess more than 13,000 nuclear warheads. Experts warn that the risk of their use is rising, whether through miscalculation, accident, or escalation,” Tokayev cautioned. He emphasized the lasting impact of 450 nuclear tests conducted on Kazakh territory during the Soviet era. Public support for nuclear energy has been growing. In a referendum held last fall, over 70% of Kazakh citizens voted in favor of developing the country’s nuclear energy capacity. In January 2025, the government finalized a shortlist of potential technology suppliers for Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant. The contenders include Russia’s Rosatom, South Korea’s KHNP, China’s CNNC, and France’s EDF. The inaugural plant is expected to be built in the Almaty region and operational by 2035. Authorities are also evaluating sites for two additional facilities, with possible locations in Balkhash (southeastern Kazakhstan), Kurchatov (in the Abai region, near the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site), and Aktau (Mangistau region, home to a Soviet-era experimental reactor). To oversee the development and regulation of the sector, Kazakhstan established the Atomic Energy Agency in March. Reporting directly to the president, the agency is responsible for uranium mining, atomic energy use, radiation safety, and management of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Safety Zone.