Climate change destroys pastures in Mongolia
Climate change destroys pastures in Mongolia.
Climate change destroys pastures in Mongolia. Mongolian pastureland is dwindling rapidly as the country is beset by a cycle of drought and harsh winter that is killing off livestock in droves. Mongolia experienced a natural disaster called dzud past winter. The phenomenon, unique to the country, usually occurs after a summer drought which is followed by heavy winter snowfall that makes already scarce pastures inaccessible to livestock. In the past, the country experienced widespread dzud about once in a decade, but they have recently been occurring every few years. Experts say the rising frequency is due to a combination of climate change and human activity, which has increased the size of herds to levels the grasslands cannot sustain. “Global warming is causing about 50% of the problems and local forces cause the other 50%,” said Purevjav Gomboluudev, head of climate research at Mongolia’s information and research institute of meteorology, hydrology and environment. The trend has been devastating when combined with climate change. The average temperature in Mongolia has increased by 2.1ºC since 1940, more than double the rise of average global temperatures, according to the UN Environment Program. In its 2014 global climate risk index, the advocacy group German Watch ranked Mongolia the eighth most vulnerable country to direct economic losses from weather-related events. According to the government report, 70% of pastoral land has been degraded, with less variety of vegetation. The intensification of dry conditions has increased the frequency of forest fires, which cut total forest area by 0.46% annually.
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