Ecology of Kazakhstan

Geographically, Kazakhstan is located in the center of Eurasia, most of which belongs to Asia, and a smaller part to Europe, between the Caspian Sea, the Lower Volga region, the Urals, Siberia, China and Central Asia. In terms of its size on the mainland, Eurasia ranks 4th after Russia, India and China, and among the CIS countries it ranks 2nd after Russia.

For many countries, the environmental problem comes first; Kazakhstan has not escaped environmental problems either. Data from the Gallup International Environmental Poll indicate that “concern for the environment has become a global phenomenon.” Today, people all over the world give priority to protecting the environment, but the reality is that every year the planet's environmental condition is deteriorating. Kazakhstan has developed an environmental protection program “Ecology and Natural Resources 2030”.

Since in the 70-90s there was an environmental crisis in the Republic of Kazakhstan, which in some regions became catastrophic. Nuclear tests that have been carried out at the Semipalatinsk test site since 1949 have led to the contamination of a vast territory in Central and Eastern Kazakhstan with radioactive substances. In addition to the Semipalatinsk test site, in different years and on the territory of Kazakhstan, 38 nuclear explosions of varying power were carried out in 28 places. 17 tests of weapons of mass destruction were carried out in the Atyrau region. In essence, Kazakhstan, over 40 years of testing atomic weapons, became the site of a nuclear disaster. Its scale and consequences are still unknown. The presence of the Baikonur cosmodrome has a negative impact on the nature of Kazakhstan, since ozone holes are formed in the atmosphere when spacecraft are launched. A big problem for Kazakhstan is radioactive waste from enterprises. One of the serious environmental problems of the Republic of Kazakhstan has become the shallowing of the Aral Sea. The irrational use of the waters of the Amur Darya and Syr Darya led to this situation. Every year, dust storms carry salt across a large area of ​​Eurasia. Air pollution remains a serious problem for Kazakhstan, especially in large industrial areas. The main pollutants of water sources are enterprises of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, oil and chemical industries, the effluents of which significantly increase the content of harmful substances in water. So there are over 46 chemical plants in Kazakhstan alone. Their largest concentration is in Almaty - 12 plants, four chemical plants are located in Karaganda, four in Temirtau, and five in Astana. Kazakhstan's land resources are also being depleted. All this could not but affect the health of Kazakhstanis. Statistical analysis of the impact of the environment on humans, in particular polluted air, has made it possible to fairly reliably establish the relationship between diseases such as damage to the upper respiratory tract, heart failure, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, emphysema, as well as eye diseases and air. A sharp increase in the concentration of impurities, which persists for several days, increases the mortality of older people from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Exhaust gases from vehicles also have a negative impact on people's health. This is a particular problem in big cities. In Kazakhstan, two cities with clean air have been named: Uralsk and Kokshetau.

Environmental protection is a system of state and public measures. In order to preserve natural landscapes, rare animals and vegetation in Kazakhstan, there are currently 10 state protected areas and 12 national parks of Kazakhstan. Nature reserves in Kazakhstan are owned by the state. In 1892, the first law was passed to protect wildlife, and in 1926 the first reserve of Kazakhstan and Central Asia, Aksu-Dzhabagly, was formed.