Kazakhstan should proceed from pragmatic economic realities, says Rustem Kabzhanov. He noted that each country in Central Asia has its own specifics: in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, the structure of energy, industry and the economy as a whole is different, therefore environmental issues are resolved there differently.
– In Kazakhstan there are industrially loaded cities, there is more coal generation. Therefore, we need a conscious, practical agreement with our neighbors. To implement large-scale projects and attract investors, it is necessary to bring our technology policies and legislative framework into one common field. It is more convenient for global players from Western Europe or Asia to enter a region where common standards apply. Our platform allows us to coordinate all these things. Now, after meetings of heads of state, we are forming a unified environmental and investment policy in the Central Asian region,” the expert explained.
Rustem Kabzhanov noted that the primary purpose of participation in the Regional Environmental Summit is to exchange views with colleagues and experts. According to him, the necessary infrastructure has already been formed in Astana: UN and EU structures are represented here, as well as various financial institutions, including organizations working in the field of green finance.
– The uniqueness is that we can avoid lengthy mediation procedures. Kazakhstan has updated the Environmental Code and this process continues consistently to this day; the document is not static. Now we need to understand what is being implemented by our neighbors in order to know in which direction we should all move next. Here we can quickly adjust joint plans and approach large international partners with a consolidated position,” the interlocutor added.
According to him, in general, in Central Asia, water is increasingly becoming a key factor in political stability, and in this context, ensuring a balance of water and energy resources remains one of the main problems for Kazakhstan.
– Neighbors need water to generate energy in the winter, while Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan need the same water for summer irrigation. At the same time, thanks to our coal generation, we can give them energy in the winter. That is, we have positions that are mutually interesting in economic terms. The task of the upcoming summit is to fix these economic and environmental interests. We need to apply such approaches to agriculture so that countries do not harm each other in terms of littering the land or depleting water resources. If a farmer understands the long-term rules of water use, he knows what irrigation and cultivation technologies to introduce, the expert believes.
The development architecture of the Central Asian region, according to the expert, is the emergence of new financing instruments. We are mainly talking about creating a joint carbon market. Under the Paris Agreement, as Rustem Kabzhanov explains, emissions reductions can be directly converted into carbon units, which become a full-fledged market mechanism.
– For us, these are new sources of budget replenishment for the implementation of green initiatives. Investors need a crystal-clear monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system. The clearer the rules for the formation of such a market are, the faster our businessmen in the field of agriculture, transport or housing and communal services will be able to implement climate projects and receive additional funds for them,” the speaker emphasized.
The expert also emphasized the importance of enshrining environmental values at the level of the Constitution of Kazakhstan. In his opinion, decarbonization projects require significant investments with a long payback period, so businesses and international funds need clear guarantees of the immutability of the country’s “green” course.
– The consolidation of these norms in the Basic Law provides such a legal basis. We are sending a clear signal to the markets: investments in the sustainable development of Kazakhstan are protected at the highest legislative level. This forces the state apparatus to strictly follow this priority when approving budgets,” he is sure.
According to the organizers of the summit, a declaration on regional environmental cooperation is expected to be adopted, as well as the launch of a program for the development of a circular economy. By the way, to translate the global agenda into a practical plane, the Ecojer Association together with JSC Zhasyl Damu will hold a separate session at the summit dedicated to climate-adaptive land use practices.
– The introduction of a circular economy program will set general standards for waste management. For Kazakhstan, this opens a direct path to creating a new waste processing industry and turning it into a sought-after secondary resource, reducing the load on land allocated for landfills. At the summit panel sessions we will discuss specific practical examples where such projects can already be launched. Our goal is to show investors the significant potential of Central Asia so that they can invest and receive certain profits, and in return we will improve the state of the environment,” said Rustem Kabzhanov.
The expert concluded that the significant diplomatic experience of the head of state allows him to build the architecture of regional partnership in strict accordance with UN rules and standards.
– For global financial institutions this is a determining factor. International capital understands that Kazakhstan is carrying out systematic work integrated into global climate conventions. This positioning opens the door for countries in our region to attract the billions of dollars of funds needed to implement large-scale environmental projects,” the expert concluded.
You can read about the significance of the summit and its impact on the environmental agenda both domestically and internationally in the material analytical observer of the Kazinform agency.
