First Published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Kazakhstan is rich in natural resources including coal, oil, natural gas and uranium and has significant renewable potential from wind, solar, hydro and biomass. In spite of this, the country is currently dependent upon fossil fuels with coal-fired plants accounting for 75% of total power generation leading to concerns over greenhouse gas emissions and impacts on human health and the environment.

This book analyses the implications of the global shift to cleaner energy for a country whose economy has centred on hydrocarbon exports. The challenge is urgent for Kazakhstan, whose...

On Christmas Day 1991 the Soviet Union disappeared, and five unprepared Central Asian republics became nation states. In December 1992 the author was seconded to the United Nations as an economic advisor to the five countries and to Azerbaijan and Mongolia, which were also in transition from central planning. This book tells the story of the following year in Central Asia. The Central Asian oases were key points on the silk road from China to West Asia and to Europe, until maritime explorers opened up sea routes that led to several centuries of decline in the region. Conquered by Russia in...