A lot of the desert areas in Mongolia do not have many people. These areas are so difficult to live in. All across the country, Mongolia has extremely cold temperatures in the winter time, which can kill large numbers of animals and threaten people's food supply. In the city of Ulaanbaatar, people who live in the ger districts burn coal and toxic products to generate heat, creating serious air pollution.
Mongolia is in a very interesting situation right now because people are figuring about how to adapt. If families lose too many animals, they often adapt by moving to the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar and trying to find other work. As a result, the city is becoming overpopulated. People are bringing trash for heat in the city. Ulaanbaatar has one of the worst air pollutions in the world, and the government is in the process of finding solutions. Some possible solutions include moving everyone from the ger districts into apartments. That will take lots of time and money. Other ideas include developing more infrastructure for the ger districts, or building up other urban areas in Mongolia so not everyone migrates to Ulaanbaatar. Perhaps the biggest contrast of all is between the smoky skies of Ulaanbaatar and the piercing blue freshness of the countryside. What do you think we should do? It's a very interesting time to be in Mongolia!
