Energy and the environment in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is blessed with energy resources including oil, gas, coal, and u ranium. But attached to this blessing is also a curse, since the extraction and use of these resources cause numerous ecological problems. There is se rious pollution of the soil and the Caspian Sea by oil products. Methane le aks from worn and outdated gas infrastructure and coal mines. The burning o f energy fuels for heat, electricity, and transport causes emissions of par ticles as well as carbon, sulphur and nitrogen oxides. Radiation is an unwe lcome by-product of oil and uranium production. In this paper we examine th ese and other devastating effects that energy has had on the Kazakh environ ment in the past and the present. We outline the laws and institutions for protection of the environment, evaluate their efficiency, and make recommen dations on technical and legal improvements that will provide Kazakhstan wi th a safer and cleaner environment. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All righ ts reserved.