Anthropocene and Kazakhstan

Definition
Anthropocene or “age of mankind” is a new term suggested by the Nobel Prize Winner, Paul Crutzen, to describe the new ecological epoch on the Planet Earth, in which human involvement in and amendment of the environment has reached its peak. P.Crutzen argues that people have taken ‘full control of environment - they control climate, environment and even DNA’.
Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber is the Director of the Potsdam Institute for climate impact research (PIK) and Chair of the German advisory council on global change (WBGU). In the comic book “Great Transformation- climate: can we beat the heat?” John Schellnhuber argues that an over exploitation of natural resources is the main cause of many environmental problems. In the book, the Anthropocene is described as a period in which the overuse of the land has led to such problems as salinization, deforestation, soil degradation. Many natural areas such as forests and grasslands are disappearing. Burning fossil fuels and deforestation have resulted in the global warming. Rising temperature in its turn results in the melting of ice surfaces and as a result to the rise of sea levels. In addition, many experts agree that human interference in the Earth ecosystems have accelerated the rate of species extinction. Reinhold Leinfelder, geologist and palaeontologist focusing on geobiology, anthropocene research and knowledge communication says that “coral reefs and mangroves are being destroyed, lakes over fertilized, rivers paved over, and fish stocks mercilessly over-fished.
Green bridge Partnership program
Green bridge Partnership program was proposed at the sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific (MCED-6) where countries decided to join the efforts and promote cooperation in Europe and Asia-Pacific region in order to solve the actual environmental problems and develop the mechanisms for transition to the sustainable growth. In order to implement this program Kazakhstan has proposed the document Astana “Green Bridge” Initiative which was adopted by all parties to the conference in Astana, the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan on 2 October 2010. The main objective of this program is to help countries to transform from the traditional unsustainable ways of development to the green growth by developing policies and mechanisms supporting green technology, green businesses and green investments.
Goals of the Astana “Green Bridge” Initiative
The main goal of the Astana “Green Bridge” Initiative is to strengthen the Europe-Asia-Pacific partnership that will assist countries in their transition from the traditional unsustainable ways of development to the green growth by developing policies and mechanisms supporting green technology, green businesses and green investments.
Funding
Overall project budget: $454,000
• RK Government $294,000*
• UNDP $160,000<ref name=":1" />

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