Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Nearly 5 million animals dead in Mongolia’s harshest winter in half a
century, aid agencies say
Mongolia is the largest landlocked country in the world. With a
population of just over three million in 1.56 square kilometers, it is the
world’s most sparsely populated state. Mongolia is known for its significant
livestock population, including 30 million sheep, 24 million goats, and
millions of cattle and horses, which are all vulnerable to the climate
conditions. Dzud [zood] is a natural disaster in severe winter following a hot,
dry summer in Mongolia. During a dzud, temperatures drop significantly, down to
as low as -30 degrees Celsius or even lower, and heavy snowfall covers grazing
pastures, which makes it difficult for livestock to find food and leads to
widespread livestock deaths, causing significant impact on the lives, communities,
and economy of 300,000 nomadic herders. This winter, the dzud was so severe,
like one in half a century, that nearly five million animals died, threatening
the livelihoods and food supply of those herders. As Mongolia has been affected
by climate change, its summer is getting hotter and winter is becoming more severe.
How will the people and animals living outside survive in the future?
Read the article and learn about how badly climate change is affecting
the lives in Mongolia.
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