Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 2012 President Elbegdorj was awarded the 'Champion of the Earth' award by the Un-
ited Nations Environmental Programme for his efforts to fight climate change.
Urban sprawl, coupled with a demand for wood to build homes and for heating and
cooking, is slowly reducing the forests. This destruction of the forests has also lowered
river levels, especially the Tuul Gol near Ulaanbaatar. Large-scale infrastructure projects
are further cause for concern. The 18m-tall Dörgön hydropower station, built on the
Chon Khairkh Gol in Khovd, has submerged canyons and pastures. The dam threatens
fish and will only operate in summer when electricity is in lower demand compared with
winter.
The International Crane Foundation (
www.savingcranes.org
)
works to preserve import-
ant crane habitats and wetland areas in Mongolia.
Conservationists are also concerned about the expansion of paved roads and railways,
which are cutting across important animal migration routes in eastern Mongolia and the
Gobi Desert. These new routes increase mining and commerce inside fragile ecosystems.
Ulaanbaatar is an environmental catastrophe in its own right. The air pollution is
ranked among the worst in the world (particularly in winter) and toxic chemicals and
coal dust have polluted the soil and water. The sudden rise of consumerism has also res-
ulted in mountains of garbage and construction waste. Efforts to enforce waste manage-
ment have so far failed and large piles of trash are commonly found in playgrounds and
parking lots. On the city outskirts, garbage dumps are inhabited by gangs of human scav-
engers who pick through the piles in search of scrap metal.
GREEN ENERGY
For centuries Mongolians have been fighting against the elements, now they are
trying to harness nature's power to develop a giant renewable-energy infrastruc-
ture. The country's first foray into renewables is a 50 megawatt wind farm, opened
in 2013 at Salkhit, 75km southwest of Ulaanbaatar. The farm is expected to save
122,000 tons of coal, 1.6 million tons of water and eliminate 180,000 tons of
carbon-dioxide emissions a year. It generates around 5% of the energy needed by
the central grid. Mongolia has set a goal to get 20% to 25% of its energy from re-
newables by 2020. Currently, coal supplies about 80% of Mongolia's energy.
