Mongolia An Environmental Report Card Zaid Ashar 5th Grade Boght hills

Environmental Report card o The Main Questions Where is the country located? How much is the population? What is the political system? What are the major energy sources? What are the major natural resources o Data Collection: I used data and information that are distributed in various websites including CIA, Wikipedia, National Geographic,and some of Mongolia’s websites. I was able to access most data easily because most of these websites are international websites whose job is to collect data of all the countries such as CIA and National Geographic. o Challenges: However, since Mongolia is not a very well researched country with not many people it was also sometimes hard to find data. A lot of the information on Government websites was in Mongolia which made it very difficult to get official information. I relied mostly on research articles and information from international organizations.

Mongolia o Mongolia is located in northern Asia. It borders China, Russia, and Kazakhstan. o Only 9% of the people are unemployed in Mongolia. o 36.1% of Mongolia lies below the poverty line.

Government - o Mongolia has a parliamentary government o The government is run by the prime minister and the president with the Parliament. o The capital Ulaanbaatar is the largest city of Mongolia with over 1.3 million people. o 68.5% of all the people live in Ulaanbaatar. o The rest are spread out as nomads and farmers. Mongolia’s president,Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj Mongolia’s prime minister: Chimed Saikhanbileg

Energy Resources o Electricity: 80% of the population has electricity. o About 80% of electricity is generated in coal-fired power plants. o Crude oil: Mongolia consumes thousand barrels of Crude Oil per day and produces thousand barrels per day.Mongolia is mostly an oil importer o Coal: Mongolia produces million short tons of coal and consumes million short tons. Mongolia is mostly a coal exporter.

ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS Water Resources o 60% of the population has access to healthy drinking water in Mongolia. o The Mongolia Water Authority reported in 2011 that climate change is already a fact in Mongolia, with natural disasters such as drought, heavy snowfall, snow and windstorms, and extreme cold and hot temperatures becoming more and more frequent. o UN Data for the period 1990 to 2010 shows an overall increase in the use of improved drinking water, from 54 percent to 82 percent.

ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS Forest Resources o Mongolia has relatively low forest cover with just over 8 percent of the country covered by closed forests. o All forests and land in Mongolia are State-owned. o Faced with the problem of deforestation and its ecological consequences, the Government has been giving emphasis to forest conservation in the recent (post 1990) years.

ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS Mineral Resources o The mining industry is Mongolia's largest sector. o It generates 33% of government incomes. o Mongolia has an estimated 100 billion tons of coal reserves. o The Mineral Resources and Petroleum Authority of Mongolia (MRPAM) is responsible for issuing mining licenses, archiving geological data, and conducting surveys and research.

o Mongolia’s population may only be 2.7 million but because of its long, cold winters, many Mongolians burn coal for cooking and heating. o This creates a huge air pollution problem. Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar is one of the most polluted cities in the world with smog 6-7 times higher than World Bank’s most lenient standards. o Officials in Mongolia are trying a new project called the Ulaanbaatar Clean Air Project. CASE STUDY #1 Air Pollution in Ulaanbataar

CASE STUDY #2 Nuclear Waste o In 2011,The U.S and Japan had been trying to make an agreement with Mongolia to build a nuclear waste facility in the Gobi Desert. o Mongolia had come close to accepting the agreement until protests broke out in Ulaanbaatar. o These protests pushed Mongolia’s government to stop the agreement.

o Over the years Mongolia has been hit with a big mining boom. o Mining industries are taking over vast regions such as the Gobi Desert. o These industries are the main reasons for climate change. o Many herders have now decided to make a living from doing illegal and deadly mining called ‘ninja mining’. o There is no safety in these mines. o The walls could collapse any second. Some miners have been buried alive in the mines. o They do all this for 5 euros a day. CASE STUDY #3 Mining

o Since 2008, Russia has been greatly involved in developing Mongolian uranium deposits. o Mongolia’s wealth of mineral resources has attracted many foreign investors and mining companies from the world. BIG DECISIONS AHEAD

PRIORITY ACTIONS! o Mongolian government should reduce the power of Russia in Mongolia’s nuclear policy. o The Mongolia should reduce its dependence on mining and reduce the control of global mining companies from the country. o The government should adopt better policies to protect the safety of miners. o The government should increase its pace of urbanization so to reduce indoor pollution caused by stoves.

REFERENCES 1. Central Intelligence Agency Internet resource. n.d. “The CIA World Factbook.” 2. ChartsBin statistics collector team n.d. “Percentage of Population Living in Poverty.” ChartsBin.com Energypedia.” Mongolia Energy Situation.” 4- Global Water Partnership.” Mongolia” Grossman, Elaine “Senior U.S. Official Denies Talk of Foreign Nuclear-Waste Site in Mongolia,” September Indexmundi. “ Agriculture production, supply, and distribution.” Indexmundi. “ Mongolia Environment: Current Issues”, Lintner, Andy. n.d. “Compare the US to Mongolia.” 9. Mongolian Eco Resources. n.d. “Regulatory and Implementing Agencies of Mongolian Government.” ni, shu “Clampdown on Gold Dredging in China Sees Switch to Mongolia and Russia.” China Dialogue, February in-China-sees-switch-to-Mongolia-and-Russia. 11. Sato, Hiroshi. n.d. “Mongolia: The Water Situation in Ulaanbatar.” Social System Review 3: 55– Theunissen, Tirza, and Ariunaa Norovsambuu “Mongolia’s Economic Boom,” January Timmerman, Ken “US Promotes Nuclear Waste Dump in Mongolia.” Newsmax, July Tolson, Michelle “In Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, Increased Mining Activities Raise Pollution Fears.” Earth Island Journal, July Wikipedia.” Mongolia” World Bank “Curbing Air Pollution in Mongolia’s Capital.” World Bank News, April 25, 2012 edition. 17. World Wildlife fund. n.d. “Hot Spots Map.” effects-of-mongolias-economic-downturn/ effects-of-mongolias-economic-downturn/

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