Kazakhstan should consider national interests while shifting to 'green economy'
By Aynur Jafarova
A transition to the 'green economy' should be carried out from the perspective of national interests.
This remark was made by Kazakh Environment and Water Resources Minister Nurlan Kapparov at the first meeting of the Council on Transition to the 'green economy' on July 30.
The meeting was chaired by Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov.
"Kazakhstan needs extensive researches to comprehensively consider this process from the perspective of national interests," Kapparov noted.
He went on to add that the climate change requires careful studies and constant monitoring. In his report, he outlined the country's regions and sectors of the economy which are most exposed to climate change consequences.
The council submitted a number of recommendations to the government. A complex of measures on Kazakhstan's adaptation to climate change will be developed on their basis.
The Prime Minister instructed the heads of the concerned state agencies to submit the proposals to the government based on the recommendations of the council.
Climate change is presently one of the acute global issues, and shifting from hydrocarbon fuels to renewable energy is one of the essential solutions to the problem.
Energy-rich Kazakhstan is currently looking for ways to use renewable energy sources. In late January, an action plan was adopted on the development of renewable energy sources for a period from 2013 to 2020.
Experts believe that Kazakhstan has to turn to alternative energy sources by 2030, as the traditional sources are being exhausted and their prices are rising. They charge about 20-30 percent of domestically consumed energy can be saved by using alternative energy resources.
According to a recently adopted concept for a transition to 'green economy', in case of high domestic prices for natural gas, the energy basket of the country will comprise 11 percent of wind and solar energy sources while the share of nuclear power will be 8 percent, hydropower 10 percent, gas 21 percent and coal 49 percent by 2030.
Given Kazakhstan's natural conditions, it is clear that the most promising alternative energy sector is wind power generation. Relevant studies conducted in the Central Asian state's regions showed that wind power generation has vast potential.