Global economy risks to lose around $5trln to natural and man-made disasters – Tokayev

Addressing the ongoing meeting of the National Science and Technology Council, Kazakh leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that the world has been facing growing natural and man-made disasters over the last few years, Kazinform News Agency cites Akorda.

As I said before, the world has been facing growing natural and man-made disasters in recent years, directly affected by climate change, which, in turn, caused by industrialization and urbanization. According to some estimates, such a tendency could lead to the global economy losing around five trillion US dollars. Therefore, the environmental protection is of priority importance for us.

The regional glaciological center, established in 2020 in Almaty by decision of UNESCO, contributes greatly to the study of climatic changes. Our scholars not only study glacier melting but also looking ways to reduce vulnerability to mudflows, glacier lake outbursts, said Tokayev.

The Head of State pointed out the need to utilize the potential of the glaciological center in full.

The government is working on providing the center with a building. Now, the special attention requires the extension of the agreement between the Kazakh government and UNESCO on the activity of the center, which terminates this year.

In 2026, Kazakhstan is to host the regional climate summit under the UN aegis. This key event will give us the good opportunity to draw the attention of the international community to the issues of glacier melting, shallowing of rivers and lakes, desertification and land degradation. It is essential to begin the preparation for the Summit now, which I believe will facilitate the consolidation of efforts of scholars, experts and politicians to find solutions to regional and global environmental challenges, concluded the Kazakh President.