The Migration Committee at Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population has conducted a study of the latest climate changes and their influence on migration processes in the country, Kazinform news agency reports.
In the modern world, climate change is becoming one of the major factors influencing population mobility. Rising global temperatures, more frequent extreme weather events, land degradation and water shortages are forcing people to move in search of safe living conditions.
“Climate migration affects both developing countries, where climate change has a particularly acute impact on agriculture and infrastructure, and developed countries that are facing new challenges related to the reception and integration of migrants,” says Asset Shonov, Chairman of the Migration Committee.
In Kazakhstan, climate factors that can influence the migration sphere include rising temperatures, changes in precipitation levels, and seasonal weather anomalies.
The average temperature in the country continues to rise. Since the 1960s, each subsequent decade has been warmer than the previous one. Recent years have become record-breaking: the average temperature in 2019–2023 exceeded the climatic norm by 1.02°C, and 2023 was the warmest year in recorded history.
In recent years, Kazakhstan has seen an increase in extreme weather events. In 2023, 203 natural meteorological events were recorded — 71 cases more than in 2022. Most often, strong winds, floods, heavy rains, blizzards, and droughts were recorded.
The worsening of climatic conditions increases the risks to human life and health, and also leads to economic losses, forcing the population to leave unfavorable regions.
According to a World Bank report, the number of climate migrants worldwide may exceed 200 million in the coming decades. In Central Asia, internal climate migrants would amount to 2-2.4 million people due to droughts, water shortages, and land degradation.
According to Shonov, the main flows of climate migrants will go to the northern regions of Kazakhstan, including Astana and Karaganda, while the southern regions will suffer from deteriorating conditions for agriculture.
Migration is becoming an adaptation strategy, especially for low-income households. “Climate migration is becoming an increasingly significant problem for Kazakhstan. The country is already taking steps to minimize the effects of climate change, but the development of adaptation and resilience strategies remains a key challenge for the coming decades,” the chairman of the Migration Committee concludes.
