The minute
- Kazakhstan designated 5.2 million hectares of non-forested land, out of a 31 million hectare state forest fund, for forestry, agriculture, energy efficiency and land restoration carbon projects
- New carbon market rules took effect on August 10, 2026, and the country is positioning to trade verified credits internationally under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which allows cross-border transfer of climate outcomes while preventing double counting
- Kazakhstan already runs a domestic Emissions Trading System since 2013 covering about 43% of national emissions, and targets a 17% emissions cut by 2035 from 1990 levels, or 25% with international support, on the way to carbon neutrality by 2060
Why it matters: Article 6 access matters because it lets a country’s carbon projects sell to international buyers, not just the domestic compliance market, and Kazakhstan opening this much land at once signals it wants to be a serious credit supplier, not just a domestic emissions-trading pilot.
A World Bank grant of $4.8 million is backing the buildout through mid-2028, and the country’s existing ETS surrendered just 86,707 domestic offset credits in 2024, a small base this new push is meant to scale up from. via Carbon Credits