In Mongolia, a killer winter is ravaging herds and a way of life(e360.yale.edu)
e360.yale.edu
In Mongolia, a killer winter is ravaging herds and a way of life
https://e360.yale.edu/features/mongolia-dzud-climate-change
69 comments
> Hope they find ways to adapt with the help of modern tools, but of course it's easier said than done, specially when they probably don't have any money to invest in things that could help and even if they could, the infrastructure just doesn't exist.
Only way so far apparently in Mongolia has been to migrate to cities.
Only way so far apparently in Mongolia has been to migrate to cities.
The overwhelming majority (90%+, IIRC) of Mongolia already lives in Ulanbataar.
They have different winter-related problems there (severe coal smog) but at least they're not at the mercy of ice on the pastures.
They have different winter-related problems there (severe coal smog) but at least they're not at the mercy of ice on the pastures.
Not sure why you think that? The nomadic population is between 25%-30%, two sources: 1) World bank gives 25% "around one quarter of households live nomadic life in Mongolia" https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/counting-uncounted-how-...; 1) Wikipedia gives 30%, "Approximately 30% of the population is nomadic or semi-nomadic" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolia.
Population of of Ulaanbataar is 1.6M, Mongolia as a country is 3.3M. So just under 50% live in the capital city.
Population of of Ulaanbataar is 1.6M, Mongolia as a country is 3.3M. So just under 50% live in the capital city.
Feedback from a friend who lives in the very West Mongolia who read this article:
" This concerns mostly East Mongolia, and it can be a good thing for the nature, even though it is disastrous for many shepherds/herders. It's now more than 3x as many livestock animals in the country compared to when communism fell in 1990. Over-grassing kills the steppes and makes the desert spread in record speed. So if half of the livestock animal population would die, it would be, as said, good for the nature, but crap for the shepherds/herders.
If you want to see the official animal statistics check out http://1212.mn/en "
" This concerns mostly East Mongolia, and it can be a good thing for the nature, even though it is disastrous for many shepherds/herders. It's now more than 3x as many livestock animals in the country compared to when communism fell in 1990. Over-grassing kills the steppes and makes the desert spread in record speed. So if half of the livestock animal population would die, it would be, as said, good for the nature, but crap for the shepherds/herders.
If you want to see the official animal statistics check out http://1212.mn/en "
I lived in Mongolia in 2000-2001 and the winter then was similar . https://reliefweb.int/report/mongolia/mongolia-snowfalls-upd...
It was a disaster for herders. Then in the spring we had a huge outbreak of hoof and mouth.
What is happening right now is tragic- but I suspect that herders will find a way to endure. They are incredibly resilient people.
It was a disaster for herders. Then in the spring we had a huge outbreak of hoof and mouth.
What is happening right now is tragic- but I suspect that herders will find a way to endure. They are incredibly resilient people.
This yale article seems to be heavily 'inspired' by the WHO article:
https://www.who.int/mongolia/news/detail/28-02-2024-severe-d...
What is your point? It's not plagiarized, and the WHO 'article' is a press release. Which is literally published for other journalists to use as primary sources and statements on events. WHO made their statement to explain their involvement in this event and provide information about said event, so it can be disseminated to a wider audience.
Don't throw such accusations around when they so unfounded.
Don't throw such accusations around when they so unfounded.
Venkatesh10(5)
That's the worst... where I live, the temperature tends to get just above zero after snowstorms, just enough to make the snow wet and more compact, and then when it freezes over again it's basically a piece of ice which takes ages to melt later. I suppose that with the weather previously being more stable, it wouldn't do that often in Mongolia? But now that it both snows more and the temperature varies more widely, this is a recipe for disaster. Hope they find ways to adapt with the help of modern tools, but of course it's easier said than done, specially when they probably don't have any money to invest in things that could help and even if they could, the infrastructure just doesn't exist.