ALMATY, Kazakhstan — They might not know much about it, but the appropriately named black soldier flies are now on the front lines of the battle for a more sustainable planet.
In Kazakhstan, like in many other countries, that battle sometimes looks like an uphill one.
While the government has recently committed to carbon neutrality by 2060, the green economy in Central Asia’s richest country still has a long way to go.
Coal currently accounts for about half of all energy consumption, the oil and gas industry dominates economic activity, and the vast majority of household waste is not recycled.
But for Bekezhan Qairgaliev, an entrepreneur in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, this means there is great potential for his environmentally friendly business to expand — so long as enough people find out about it.
“We receive about 400 kilograms of organic waste per day. That produces about 130-150 kilograms of …