ASTANA, January 26, 2016 – The World Bank Country Office in Kazakhstan hosted a technical workshop to share early findings from the study “Development of Policy Options for Mid- and Long-term Emissions Pathways and Role of Carbon Pricing in Kazakhstan”.
The primary objective of the study is to inform policy makers on the impact of the national Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) on Kazakhstan’s economy, and to assess the policy options for achieving the country’s targets under the Green Economy Concept and the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Experts from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Econ) together with the Nazarbayev University Research and Innovation System (NURIS) presented the findings to workshop participants from the Ministry of Energy, other key government counterparts, and members of academia working on the climate resilience agenda.
Discussions focused on the methodologies, assumptions, and early results of the study, which is based on the establishment of a hybrid model linking a bottom-up energy planning model (TIMES) developed by NURIS with a top-down macroeconomic model (CGE) developed by DIW Econ. It is expected that the final results of the project will be presented to the public –by May 2016.
“The outcomes of this modelling exercise will provide good guidance to decision makers for elaboration of a detailed roadmap of necessary measures and activities to achieve the targets of the INDC,” highlighted Gulmira Sergazina, Director of the Climate Change Department, Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The activity is supported by the Partnership for Market Readiness (PMR), the World Bank Group Multi-Donor Trust Fund that supports countries to assess, prepare, and implement innovative instruments to scale up greenhouse gas mitigation. It also serves as a platform bringing together more than 30 countries – including some of the largest carbon emitters – to share knowledge and work together to shape the future of cost-effective climate change mitigation. In 2014, Kazakhstan joined the PMR as a Technical Partner, represented by the Ministry of Energy, and was allocated funding to address the capacity building needs and other policy challenges facing the national ETS. In particular, the support includes analytical studies on ETS, development of an on-line GHG reporting platform, enhancement of the Kazakhstan’s carbon unit registry infrastructure, and various stakeholder engagement and consultation activities.
“As nations are moving to implement the climate change agreement reached in Paris last year, the World Bank commends Kazakhstan's efforts in realizing its nationally set goals. In this regard, we are always ready to support the country in building the tools and capacity to define its own greenhouse gas emissions pathway, and to assess policies in support of its aspirations,” said Craig Meisner, Senior Environmental Economist, World Bank.
