Abstract
Purpose of the research This study examines the decarbonization implementation gap in resource-rich Kazakhstan, understood as the distance between formally stated climate ambition and observed emissions outcomes. Using the United Kingdom as a contrasting governance benchmark, it investigates how legal anchoring, policy-instrument coherence, Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) credibility, and enforcement capacity shape the translation of climate pledges into measurable low-carbon outcomes. Methodology The paper employs comparative institutional analysis, combining policy document review, case-based evidence, and secondary statistical data. It compares Kazakhstan and the United Kingdom across a governance pathway linking climate targets, legal frameworks, policy instruments, monitoring, reporting and verification systems, enforcement mechanisms, and emissions trajectories. Originality/value of the research The study contributes to comparative climate-governance literature by shifting attention from climate ambition to implementation capacity. It extends the implementation-gap perspective to decarbonization as a governance challenge, particularly for resource-rich economies exposed to fossil-fuel dependence, carbon-intensive exports, and external climate-trade pressures such as Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Findings The analysis shows that Kazakhstan’s implementation gap is shaped by weak legal anchoring, fragmented policy instruments, limited ETS effectiveness, uneven Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) capacity, and limited enforcement credibility. The UK case demonstrates how legally binding carbon budgets, independent oversight, coherent instruments, credible carbon pricing, and MRV systems can narrow the gap between pledges and delivery.