Kazakhstan ramps up environmental protection investments
In the first half of 2025, Kazakhstan invested 78.8 billion tenge in environmental protection sector, which is 4.6 times more than in the same period of 2024. At the same time, in 2024, investments decreased by 5.2 times and amounted to 52.8 billion tenge - the lowest indicator since 2017, Kazinform News Agency reports citing Finprom.
The country’s overall spending on environmental protection, including investments and rational use of natural resources, also decreased: from 610.3 billion tenge in 2023 to 456.1 billion tenge in 2024, i.e. by 25.3%. Meanwhile, a 37.3% increase was reported a year before.
The lion’s share of expenditures in 2024 was allocated to atmospheric air protection and climate change issues - 153.6 billion tenge, marking a 25.8% year-on-year increase. Then come waste management and wastewater treatment: 146.9 billion and 83.3 billion tenge, respectively.
Notably, in the field of renewable energy sources, environmental protection costs dropped sharply within a year from 202.4 billion to 27.8 billion tenge.
According to data from the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), in 2023, global greenhouse gas emissions reached 529.6 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent - an increase of 1.9% compared to 2022.
Since 1990, global greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 62%. The most significant increase was observed in the energy industry, where emissions nearly doubled, followed by industrial combustion and processes (91%), transport (78%) and waste management (56%).
China, the United States and India were responsible for nearly half of all global greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. Notably, China alone contributed 30.1% of the total volume, emitting 15.9 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. Emissions in the United States and India amounted to 6 billion and 4.1 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, respectively.
Russia and Brazil ranked fourth and fifth in terms of greenhouse gas emissions: 2.7 billion and 1.3 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, respectively. Indonesia, Japan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Canada were also among the top ten emitters. These ten countries together produced almost two-thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Kazakhstan is second largest emitter in the EAEU region after Russia. In 2023, Kazakhstan's emissions totaled 320.4 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. A significant figure was also reported by Uzbekistan, with 214.5 million tonnes. The lowest emissions level was recorded in Armenia (10.8 million tonnes), Tajikistan (21.4 million tonnes) and Kyrgyzstan (21.7 million tonnes).
As reported, a new study published in PLOS One by French researchers reveals that people may be breathing in significantly more microplastics in indoor environments than previously estimated.
