Environment and Security: Transforming risks into cooperation

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Environment and Security

man pressures and environmental change on economic sectors and livelihoods that depend on the ecosystem. There are how- ever several sides to the picture. One clearly identified trend relates to the in- creasing differences between urban centres on the coast and areas in the rural hinter- land. Urban centres, especially the Kazakh provincial capitals Atyrau and Aktau, have become strategic nodes for services to the energy sector (financial services, transpor- tation, housing, etc.), attracting population from rural areas, other parts of the country and other states. The energy sector needs a qualified workforce, often drawn from abroad by the high wages paid in the region. The presence of large numbers of foreign workers may cause social tension 36 .

near the oilfields and other mineral depos- its. This concentration of population also increases demand for resources such as energy, water and food. Massive investment in urban centres and infrastructure is widening the gap between rural and urban areas. Despite the fact that rural communities may also benefit from an range of social investments financed by the energy companies – such as the construc- tion of schools and gas mains, road repairs, etc. – many rural communities remain mar- ginalized and impoverished. At the same time the rapid development of urban centres often lacks consistent plan- ning, leading to major differences within the centres themselves between areas served by recent municipal infrastructure, and those that lack such services or depend on decaying infrastructure.

More than half the region’s population is currently living in urban centres on the coast