Togzhan Yerzhankyzy | 28.12.2025
Why Natural Resources are Limited: The Case of Kazakhstan
Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. On Earth , it includes sunlight, atmosphere, water, land,minerals along with all vegetation.
Resources are very important for humanity, but they are being reduced more and more every day, which means that they cannot be enough forever. tHis problem is especially relevant for Kazakhstan. Because the economy of Kazakhstan depends heavily on natural resources. Kazakhstan is a country rich in natural resources such as oil, coal, natural gas and uranium. This is the only country that has all the elements of the periodic table. Natural resources are subtly linked to the economy of Kazakhstan because exports from other countries bring huge income to the country, however, using resources inside the country and still selling to other countries reduces the amount of resources and has large reserves of oil, natural gas, coal, uranium and metals. Oil exports play an important role in Kazakhstan's economy, generating revenue for the government and creating jobs. However, this dependence also shows why natural resources are limited. Sooner or later, oil and gas reserves will run out, and over time, their extraction will become more expensive.
One reason why natural resources are limited is because they are non-renewable. One of the main reasons for the scarcity of natural resources is that many of them are non-renewable. It takes millions of years to form non-renewable resources, and they cannot be used twice. Kazakhstan is rich in oil and gas, especially the Caspian Sea region. Kazakhstan is also a major producer of uranium. Uranium in Kazakhstan is produced at a variety of deposits located mainly in the Kyzylorda and Turkestan regions. Coal reserves are also non-renewable. Kazakhstan has huge coal reserves, but continued mining is reducing its total volume.These resources bring in a huge amount of taxes and exports. But those are used in huge amounts and are non renewable and because they can not be recycled it causes Kazakhstan huge problems.
Another reason is that the population in Kazakhstan is growing and more and more people need resources, which means demand for resources is increasing. As Kazakhstan develops economically, more and more people are moving in and giving birth,the demand for energy, materials and water continues to grow. And in the economy, when demand increases faster than supply, scarcity becomes more severe, which then leads to price increasing and more competition between industries. Growth of economies in the Central Asian region, including Kazakhstan, has long been ensured by the export of raw materials. However, low carbon transition is reshaping the demand for hydrocarbons. As many countries are transitioning to renewable energy and green economies, Kazakhstan can build on its natural resource expertise to develop critical raw materials.
The Aral Sea which is located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Aral Sea’s rapid decline since the 1960s has had a profound impact on local ecosystems, economies, and public health. This crisis completely deteriorated the fishing industry, agricultural output shrunk, and shipping came to a halt as desiccation set in. The reason for its shrinking was massive irrigation made in the Soviet Union. Although irrigation made the desert bloom, it devastated the Aral Sea.
Limited natural resources have a strong impact not only on people, but also on the economic stability of a country. Kazakhstan's economy is highly dependent on oil and gas exports, which means that changes in prices can directly affect the country's income. For example, when oil or gas prices fall, the national income of the countries of the world also decreases, which then affects social needs such as education, medicine and infrastructureю This shows that natural resources and trade with them play a key role in Kazakhstan.
What can Kazakhstan do?
Kazakhstan can solve the problem of limited natural resources by diversifying its economy and sustainability. Moreover, they can focus on using resources more efficiently. Instead of focusing only on non-renewable resources like oil and gas, Kazakhstan can start making money from renewable resources and discover new opportunities: from solar and wind energy. Improving water resources management is also important, especially after the crisis in the Aral Sea. Kazakhstan has already started doing a lot of projects that already bring a lot of success. Kazakhstan has made significant progress in the field of renewable energy, increasing its share from zero a decade ago to more than 6 percent now. About a third of this increase was funded by the EBRD.
So, Kazakhstan is already taking action to solve the limited resources issue for the good future of Kazakhstan residents.
In conclusion, we note that many natural resources in Kazakhstan are limited, as many of them are non-renewable and they take millions of years to renew, as Kazakhstan is heavily dependent on natural resources such as oil and gas, which shows that their excessive use leads to economic problems such as a decrease in national income and environmental problems such as disasters the Aral Sea, which caused because of poor resource management. However, by focusing on renewable energy and long term sustainable development, Kazakhstan can save its treasure for the future of the country.
Resources are very important for humanity, but they are being reduced more and more every day, which means that they cannot be enough forever. tHis problem is especially relevant for Kazakhstan. Because the economy of Kazakhstan depends heavily on natural resources. Kazakhstan is a country rich in natural resources such as oil, coal, natural gas and uranium. This is the only country that has all the elements of the periodic table. Natural resources are subtly linked to the economy of Kazakhstan because exports from other countries bring huge income to the country, however, using resources inside the country and still selling to other countries reduces the amount of resources and has large reserves of oil, natural gas, coal, uranium and metals. Oil exports play an important role in Kazakhstan's economy, generating revenue for the government and creating jobs. However, this dependence also shows why natural resources are limited. Sooner or later, oil and gas reserves will run out, and over time, their extraction will become more expensive.
One reason why natural resources are limited is because they are non-renewable. One of the main reasons for the scarcity of natural resources is that many of them are non-renewable. It takes millions of years to form non-renewable resources, and they cannot be used twice. Kazakhstan is rich in oil and gas, especially the Caspian Sea region. Kazakhstan is also a major producer of uranium. Uranium in Kazakhstan is produced at a variety of deposits located mainly in the Kyzylorda and Turkestan regions. Coal reserves are also non-renewable. Kazakhstan has huge coal reserves, but continued mining is reducing its total volume.These resources bring in a huge amount of taxes and exports. But those are used in huge amounts and are non renewable and because they can not be recycled it causes Kazakhstan huge problems.
Another reason is that the population in Kazakhstan is growing and more and more people need resources, which means demand for resources is increasing. As Kazakhstan develops economically, more and more people are moving in and giving birth,the demand for energy, materials and water continues to grow. And in the economy, when demand increases faster than supply, scarcity becomes more severe, which then leads to price increasing and more competition between industries. Growth of economies in the Central Asian region, including Kazakhstan, has long been ensured by the export of raw materials. However, low carbon transition is reshaping the demand for hydrocarbons. As many countries are transitioning to renewable energy and green economies, Kazakhstan can build on its natural resource expertise to develop critical raw materials.
The Aral Sea which is located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Aral Sea’s rapid decline since the 1960s has had a profound impact on local ecosystems, economies, and public health. This crisis completely deteriorated the fishing industry, agricultural output shrunk, and shipping came to a halt as desiccation set in. The reason for its shrinking was massive irrigation made in the Soviet Union. Although irrigation made the desert bloom, it devastated the Aral Sea.
Limited natural resources have a strong impact not only on people, but also on the economic stability of a country. Kazakhstan's economy is highly dependent on oil and gas exports, which means that changes in prices can directly affect the country's income. For example, when oil or gas prices fall, the national income of the countries of the world also decreases, which then affects social needs such as education, medicine and infrastructureю This shows that natural resources and trade with them play a key role in Kazakhstan.
What can Kazakhstan do?
Kazakhstan can solve the problem of limited natural resources by diversifying its economy and sustainability. Moreover, they can focus on using resources more efficiently. Instead of focusing only on non-renewable resources like oil and gas, Kazakhstan can start making money from renewable resources and discover new opportunities: from solar and wind energy. Improving water resources management is also important, especially after the crisis in the Aral Sea. Kazakhstan has already started doing a lot of projects that already bring a lot of success. Kazakhstan has made significant progress in the field of renewable energy, increasing its share from zero a decade ago to more than 6 percent now. About a third of this increase was funded by the EBRD.
So, Kazakhstan is already taking action to solve the limited resources issue for the good future of Kazakhstan residents.
In conclusion, we note that many natural resources in Kazakhstan are limited, as many of them are non-renewable and they take millions of years to renew, as Kazakhstan is heavily dependent on natural resources such as oil and gas, which shows that their excessive use leads to economic problems such as a decrease in national income and environmental problems such as disasters the Aral Sea, which caused because of poor resource management. However, by focusing on renewable energy and long term sustainable development, Kazakhstan can save its treasure for the future of the country.
