Kazakhstan is naturally rich in fossil fuels and its economy is strongly linked to oil and gas exports. Significant coal reserves have led to an energy mix that is dominated by aging and polluting thermal power plants. Yet Kazakhstan comprises mainly grassland steppe where agriculture and livestock pastoralism dominate offering the potential for cleaner, renewable energy production from a range of agricultural and forestry wastes. Here we analyse the spatial distribution and bioenergy generation potential of different feedstocks using an ArcGIS platform and demonstrate a significant opportunity for a range of bioenergy technologies. We recommend a number of policy interventions to enable Kazakhstan to make a transition to cleaner, more accessible and locally generated supply which is also sustainable and provide a waste management solution.

The study of the transformation of natural complexes in areas with a developed infrastructure for oil subsurface use is a prerequisite condition for solving the environmental problems of oil-producing regions. Located in the territory of the Atyrau Region in Western Kazakhstan, the Tengiz oil field is one of the largest oil fields in the world. The field has been under intensive development for more than 40 years and is characterised by a large volume of anthropogenic load, which contributes to a significant transformation of the landscape complex. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamics of landscape changes in the territory of the Tengiz field and to assess its ecological condition. Based on the materials from many years of research, the features of the Tengiz field and the main technogenic sources affecting the landscape complex were identified. Several quantitative indicators characterising the anthropogenic load were calculated based on satellite images. On the basis of Landsat – 5 TM, 7 ETM+ and 8 OLI and Sentinel-2A (S2A) data, the vegetation index of land cover was calculated using normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), demonstrating the dynamics of landscape changes in the period from 1990 to 2020. The obtained results show that the areas of some landscape components continue to deteriorate. For example, the area of open soil in 2020 decreased due to the withdrawal of these areas for industrial facilities, which increased by 2.2 times by 2020 due to intensive field development. This study demonstrates the importance of monitoring and studying desert landscape complexes under active anthropogenic impact to ensure the sustainable development of territories.

This study analyzed precipitation and air temperature in the Zhambyl, Almaty, Zhetysu, Abay, and East Kazakhstan regions of Kazakhstan using data from the national meteorological network of the RSE Kazhydromet. The purpose of the study was to reveal the climatic changes and their spatial distribution throughout the study area. A modified Mann–Kendall test and Sen’s Slope estimator were applied to analyze aridity conditions in combination with the drought indices SPEI and Selyaninov hydrothermal coefficient, enabling analysis of the magnitude and statistical significance of trend changes from April to September for the period 1981 to 2023. The magnitude of the observed trends of the mean growing-season temperature increased by 0.211 °C decade⁻¹, while precipitation declined by 2.074 mm decade⁻¹, which indicates a decrease in moisture availability for crops in the southeast and east of Kazakhstan. The results of this study may be of interest to agricultural specialists, ecologists, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and hydrologists to develop activities aimed at preventing threats and mitigating the effects of climate change in Kazakhstan. The use of the above statistical methods in combination with drought indices is relevant in the context of climate change and worsening food security and can serve as a good indicator for determining when significant changes in climatic parameters occurred, which will be valuable information for making management decisions.

The deterioration of the environment in many regions, the modification and degradation of naturalgeosystems and the conditions of life support for the population lead to a real ecological danger with far-reaching and unpredictable consequences for the existence of mankind. More and more popular andpromising are studies on assessing the state of the environment and determining the degree of favorableor unfavorable conditions in specific areas for the population.Interaction between society and the environment, which occurs in various zonal-natural and socioeconomicconditions, at the level of specific modern geosystems, i.e. in certain areas, makes us considerresearch as complex ecosystems represented by various natural-anthropogenic complexes, the core ofwhich is the person himself. In such ecosystems, a person lives not only in the natural, but also in thetechnogenic, economic, social, ethno-cultural and many other environments that acquire territorial expression.All these environments surrounding the human are interrelated, differentiated, integrated intovarious structures and form a common geoecosociosystem, the functioning of which is determined bythe assessment of its state.Deterioration of the state of natural environment and ensuring environmental safety require creation ofa visual image of a new environmental reality. This task corresponds most closely to the cartographic form,which adequately reflects the ecological situation. Ecological maps have a special role in the implementationof environmental control, organization of monitoring, implementation of environmental measures,management of natural activities. The mapping of anthropogenic human influence on the environment isa complex task, which is primarily due to the multiplicity of characteristics that require systematization. Inthis respect, complex ecological mapping is comparable not with any particular thematic area (geological,soil, socio-economic and other mapping), but with thematic cartography as a whole.One of such regions for mapping is the territory of Western Kazakhstan. The purpose of mapping isto analyze the ecological situation and its zoning, i.e. the identification of spatial and temporal variabilityof environmental factors affecting the state of ecosystems. The mapping of ecological zoning shouldbe considered as the logical completion of an independent study – an eco-geographical analysis of anyterritory aimed at determining those conditions and properties that characterize the environment surroundinga person.Ecological assessment and mapping of the territory aim at the practice of improving the ecologicaland economic balance of the territory, its environmentally safe and harmonious development, abandoningthe destructive industrial and consumer ideology, and radically changing the system of priorities andvalues in the sphere of nature management. Көптегенөңірлердегіқоршaғaн ортa жaғдaйыныңнaшaрлaуы, тaбиғигеожүйелердіңөзгеруімен құлдырaуыжәнехaлықтыңтіршілікету жaғдaйы aдaмзaтқa ұзaқ жәнекүтпегенсaлдaры бaрнaқты экологиялыққaуіпкеәкеледі.Қоршaғaн ортaның жaғдaйынбaғaлaужәненaқты aймaқтaғытұрғындaрдыңөмір сүруініңқолaйлы немесеқолaйсыз жaғдaйлaрды aнықтaуды зерттеуәлдеқaйдaтaнымaл әрі келешегібaр сaлa болыпкеледі.Нaқты зaмaнaуи геожүйелердіңдеңгейіндежүретінaймaқтық-тaбиғижәнеәлеуметтік-экономикaлықжaғдaйлaрдa болaтын қоршaғaн ортa мен қоғaмның өзaрa әрекеттестуі,яғнибелгілібірaумaқтaрдa өзегіaдaмның өзі болыптaбылaтын, әртүрлітaбиғи-aнтропогендіккешендерменкелтірілгензерттеунысaны ретіндекүрделіэкожүйелердіқaрaстырaды. Мұндaй экожүйелердеaдaмтек тaбиғиғaнa емес, сондaй-aқ техногендік,шaруaшылық-экономикaлық,әлеуметтік,этномәденижәнеде aймaқтық көрініскеие болaтын көптегенбaсқa ортaлaрдa өмір сүреді.Адaмды қоршaғaнбaрлық ортaлaр әртүрліқұрылымдaрдaбaйлaнысты,сaрaлaнғaн, біріктірілгенжәнежaлпы геоэкосоциожүйеніқұрaйды, оның жұмысжaсaу деңгейіжaғдaйынбaғaлaуменaнықтaлaды.Тaбиғиортa жaғдaйыныңнaшaрлaуы жәнеэкологиялыққaуіпсіздіктіқaмтaмaсыз етужaңa экологиялықболмыстыңкөрнекібейнесінжaсaуды тaлaп етеді.Экологиялықжaғдaйдынaқты көрсететінбұл тaлaпқa кaртогрaфиялықүлгісaй келеді.Экологиялықкaртaлaр экологиялықбaқылaуды жүзегеaсырудa,мониторингтіұйымдaстырудa,тaбиғaтты қорғaу шaрaлaрынорындaудa, шaруaшылыққызметтібaсқaрудa ерекшерөл aтқaрaды. Адaмның қоршaғaн ортaғaaнтропогендікәсерінкaртогрaфиялықүлгідекөрсету– ең aлдыменжүйелеудітaлaп ететінсипaттaмaлaрдың көптігінебaйлaныстыкүрделіміндет.Осығaн бaйлaныстыкешендіэкологиялықкaртогрaфиялaу қaндaй дa бір нaқты тaқырыптықaймaқпен (геологиялық,топырaқ,әлеуметтік-экономикaлықжәнебaсқa кaртогрaфиялaу)...