Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Mongolia: A toxic warning to the world
Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia, a landlocked country in central Asia. It is also the largest city with a
population of over 1.3 million, nearly half of the population of the country. Ulaanbaatar
is also known as the world’s coldest capital, where minimum temperatures drop
below minus 20 degrees Celsius in winter months, when many of the capital’s residents
burn raw coal to heat their houses and coal-fired power stations run at their
full capacity to supply enough electricity needed to warm the city.
Here is the problem. Since Ulaanbaatar lies
in a valley where high mountains shield the city from winter winds, the smog caused
by coal-burning stuck in the valley, resulting in disastrous air pollution. And
who are the most vulnerable to air pollution? Young children. They suffer severe
breathing problems and lung diseases even wearing masks. Indeed, Ulaanbaatar is
not just the coldest but also the most air-polluted capital in the world. And
it’s not hard to imagine what is happening to the surrounding environment.
Watch the video and learn the changes occurring
in the grassland, herds and pastoral lives in Mongol.
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