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 Minister Olzhas Bektenov, reporting a 31,000 sq km reduction in the Caspian’s surface area, equivalent to the size of Belgium, since 2005. Caspian seal populations have fallen from one million to 100,000, and sturgeon stocks have declined by 90% in four decades. Ponomarev warned that continued degradation could displace up to five million people by 2040.
Many fear the Caspian may follow the trajectory of the Aral Sea, which has endured catastrophic shrinkage since the mid-20th century. Once the world’s fourth-largest lake, much of the former Aral is now the Aralkum Desert. Kazakhstan has undertaken numerous efforts to mitigate desertification in the north Aral region.
Despite efforts to coordinate with regional neighbors like Uzbekistan, meaningful joint action has been elusive. Most support has come from international partners. Kazakhstan has launched a new phase in its long-term program to support affected communities and ecosystems in the Aral region.
