In March 2021, a massive sandstorm that originated from the central Gobi Desert swept across Mongolia, hitting the capital, Ulaanbaatar, and carrying gray-yellow dust into northern China. This scene plays out almost every spring, becoming one of the normalized natural disasters in contemporary Mongolia.
While Chinese media reacted strongly to this event, such sandstorms have become commonplace in Mongolia, occurring five to six times a year on average, and at times exceeding thirty occurrences. Data shows that by 2023, nearly half of the sandstorms affecting China originated from Mongolia, with dust clouds large enough to reach Korea and Japan.
Clearly, Mongolia itself suffers the most from this phenomenon. These sandstorms not only destroy the once-abundant grasslands but also accelerate the expansion of deserts. Formerly lush pastures filled with livestock have now turned into "barren lands," which subsequently degrade into sand, creating a sustainable cycle of deterioration.
Fragile Grassland Ecosystem
Mongolia's grasslands should play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance; however, global warming and drought conditions have made the natural environment increasingly harsh. Located in the Asian interior, Mongolia is cut off from the East Asian monsoon, resulting in abnormally low precipitation. For instance, Ulaanbaatar receives an annual rainfall of only 290 mm, while the southern Gobi provinces receive less than 100 mm. Additionally, from 1940 to 2015, Mongolia's average temperature rose by 2.24℃, while annual precipitation decreased by 7%. With such adverse natural conditions, the population capacity is extremely low; Mongolia's total population is only 3.5 million, far less than one-seventh of that of China's Xinjiang region.
However, the harsh natural conditions are only part of the reason for the environmental collapse. In reality, Mongolia's environmental degradation has gradually emerged over the past forty years. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, Mongolia has undergone an economic transformation, leading to excessive agricultural and pastoral exploitation, a boom in mining, and a lack of effective governance, all of which have exacerbated environmental issues.
In pursuit of economic gains, Mongolian herders have recklessly increased the number of livestock, leading to rapid degradation of pastures. Data indicates that the number of livestock in Mongolia surged from 25 million in 1990 to 70 million in 2023, as formerly sustainable grazing lands have been gradually eroded by unchecked grazing.
The Curse of Resources
In addition to agricultural overexploitation, Mongolia's mineral resources have also become a significant factor in the environmental collapse. Although mining has provided Mongolia with substantial economic benefits, it has simultaneously caused severe environmental damage.
Ninety-seven percent of Mongolia's export income comes from minerals and metals, while livestock farming accounts for a mere 3%. This situation has led to resource development gradually overshadowing the protection of grasslands, and environmental degradation has not improved. For example, the Erdenet Copper Mine continues to produce 450,000 tons of copper concentrate annually even after decades of mining, highlighting its considerable economic value.
However, this economic gain has not benefited the general populace; rather, it has exacerbated wealth disparity, leading to significant corruption and an unbalanced distribution of social wealth.
Driven by the mining sector, Mongolia's social structure is changing, with an increasing number of young people flocking to the capital, Ulaanbaatar, in search of livelihoods. Statistics show that Ulaanbaatar's resident population accounts for half of the national total, with young adults comprising 75% of that number.
However, the rapid urban development has not improved living conditions; instead, the emergence of slums has become the norm. Large-scale "ger slums" have formed in northern Ulaanbaatar, where these unplanned living environments not only lack basic municipal facilities but also lead to severe environmental pollution. To cope with heating needs, many residents resort to burning coal, cow dung, or waste, further exacerbating air pollution in the city.
Future Hopes and Challenges
In the face of the crisis of environmental collapse, the Mongolian government has also attempted to take measures to improve the situation. Since 2005, Mongolia has launched the "National Green Wall Program" and, in 2021, introduced the "One Billion Trees Program," aiming for large-scale reforestation by 2030. However, due to a lack of effective personnel and organizational capacity, the implementation results have been far from ideal. Reports from the Asian Development Bank indicate that Mongolia needs to enforce environmental laws and regulations to genuinely improve its ecological environment.
As environmental conditions worsen and social tensions rise, Mongolia's ecological prospects appear increasingly grim. Although Mongolia's low population density might provide some breathing room, addressing the fundamental issues of wealth disparity and unequal distribution remains a pressing challenge for the nation.