Ulaanbaatar’s coal addiction is fueling a public health crisis

Many associate Mongolia with a picturesque scene of snow-white sheep roaming the prairies and a chilly, crisp wind sweeping over Bogd Khairkhan Mountain. In sharp contrast to these images, the level of air pollution is 27 times more than the healthy level that the World Health Organization(WHO) recommends, with 687 micrograms or particulate matter per cubic meter invading the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky. Ganjargal Dembrel, a doctor from the northern part of Ulaanbaatar who responded to a house call, said he no longer “knows what a healthy lung sounds like,” with none to be found in his neighborhood, according to his interview with National Geographic.“Everybody has bronchitis or some other problem, especially during winter, ” he said. As Dembrel suggests, the severity of Mongolia’s air pollution is threatening the public health of the country in a way known as “slow violence.” Coined by Rob Nixon, a professor in the Department of Humanities and the Environment at Princeton University, the phrase refers to the adverse impact of climate change, deforestation, acidifying oceans, and other hazardous environmental crises on underprivileged or minority communities. According to Nixon, “slow violence” is largely invisible in the short term, but is detrimental over years, decades, and even centuries, solidifying environmental injustice in the worst-hit regions. The current situation in Mongolia is the case in point.

The primary cause of Mongolia's air pollution is its reliance on coal and other fossil fuels. Households in Mongolia depend on burning coals to remain warm during the winter season, which is the third coldest winter in the world: the temperature can fall as low as -40°F. F. 

During the sub-freezing winter, research found that the residential district in Ulaanbaatar, known as the “ger”, burns around 600,000 tons of raw coal for heating purposes. The  coal consumed by ger areas accounts for 80% of the current air pollution in the city. In addition, the geographic features of Ulaanbaatar accumulate the devastation of air pollution. High mountains surrounding Ulaanbaatar’s urban areas, which have lower wind speeds, block air pollutants from dissipation. 

Home to 3.3 million people, Mongolia faces substantial challenges posed by the aftermath of its climate crisis. The fine particulate matter in the air of Ulaanbaatar contributed to 28.8% of deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and lung disease. Among the impacted population, the children are the most vulnerable. The second leading cause of death for children under the age of 5 in Mongolia is pneumonia, a lung infection. In the highly polluted area of Ulaanbaatar, children have 40% lower lung function than their peers living in rural areas. 

Studies have also found that pollution imposes a high risk to reproductive health. In January, the month of peak pollution, the amount of successfully delivered infants relative to conceptions in Mongolia was reduced by 3.2-fold. The alarming infliction of climate disasters hits the next generation of Mongolians hardest.

To reduce air pollution, governments, organizations, and individuals in Mongolia and around the world are taking action. The Mongolian government passed the “Law on Air Quality” in 2012, implementing policies such as subsidizing household electricity. It also bans raw coal starting in May 2019, replacing it with refined coal. Though not without pushback from weak municipal execution and economic depression, the overall situation is improving. Winter of 2019 saw a dramatic decrease of particulate matter by 2.5 falling 42% compared to the previous year.  It remains to be seen whether these measures and others will be able to fully tackle Ulaanbaatar's pollution problem. 

Non-profit international organizations such as Geres and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) also partner with the government to mitigate the pollution. UNICEF is working with  nongovernmental organizations on programs including training health workers’ skills and knowledge, increasing families’ access to affordable medication, and raising public awareness of the effect of pollution. Geres, a development NGO working in Europe, Africa, and Asia, coordinates projects such as the energy renovation of fragile housing in Ulaanbaatar that aims to eradicate the primary cause of air pollution.

The future holds promise for Mongolia as long as all parties involved take responsibility and work together to protect the environment and public health. Tackling air pollution is a shared responsibility for the government, international organizations, and individuals, and will require immense effort to transition to a more sustainable urbanization model for the traditionally nomadic nation.

To Get Involved:

The UNICEF Mongolia country office works in close partnership with the Government of Mongolia, NGOs, and local communities to protect child rights in Mongolia from access to resources to educate about the environment and air pollution. Find out more about UNICEF here.

Geres is working on multiple projects that contribute to sustainable, energy-efficient development in Ulaanbaatar and other major cities in Mongolia. Learn more about their program and how you can take action here.

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Hope is a Chinese international student at Wake Forest University in North Carolina studying sociology, statistics, and journalism. She dreams of traveling around the globe as a freelance reporter while touching on a wide range of social issues from education inequality to cultural diversity. Passionate about environmental issues and learning about other cultures, she is eager to explore the globe. In her free time, she enjoys cooking Asian cuisine, reading, and theater.