Nearly 80% of population willing to deal with environmental situation in Kazakhstan – UNDP

NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM – Nearly 80% of the people of Kazakhstan are willing to act on their own to deal with the environmental situation in the country, the poll by the UNDP in Kazakhstan revealed, Kazinform correspondent reports.

According to the UN estimates, almost 85% of all disasters occurred in the past decade have been caused by extreme weather and environment conditions.

Kazakhstan has its agricultural sector, waters, pastures and forests being affected by the climate change. It is believed that the country will lose over 50% of its current glacial mass by 2100.

Natural disasters such as landslides, floods, droughts, as well as forest fires are expected to increase in frequency and scale. It is forecast that climate change could lead to a sharp reduction of water resources causing water shortages in the country’s eight basins.

The UNDP provides support to over 100 countries in the world, including Kazakhstan, to tackle climate change.

2,168 Kazakhstanis took part in the poll. Most of the responders believe human factor plays a great role in climate change, with 72.20% blaming human activity as a major factor affecting the climate.

The poll revealed that around 80% of the people of Kazakhstan are willing to act on their own to deal with the environmental situation in the country.