Mongolia’s nomadic herders are as tough as they get. For centuries, the herders and their livestock have survived the harsh environment of the steppes – where summers are scalding and winter temperatures plummet well below freezing.
Now they’re facing the new and unpredictable threat of climate change. There’s less water and less fodder for grazing and with less food, their animals are struggling to survive through the harsh winters.
Presented by Eric Campbell, this is the story of how these resilient people are adapting to a changing climate.
As summers get hotter and drier, winters have become the biggest killers.
In 2010 nearly a quarter of the country’s livestock perished when temperatures plunged to minus 50.
Mongolians have a name for this white death: they call it ‘dzud’.
We spend time with the Soyolporev family who breed goats, cows, goats and horses to make cashmere, milk and cheese.
“In the year 2000, there was so little grass in the country that millions of heads of livestock died. That year, I lost half of my 300 animals. 2003 was difficult too, and 2010 was catastrophic”, says Mr Soyolporev.
Mongolia’s National Agency for Meteorology says climate change is making dzuds the new normal.
“Previously, these only happened roughly every ten years”, says one scientist. But now, ‘in the central steppes, dzuds occur three to four times a decade, while in the snowy regions they happen four to six times a decade.”
To find a better life, many nomads are fleeing to the capital where they live in the slums on the outskirts of the city.
The members of global hit band The Hu are using their music – a fusion of traditional throat singing and heavy metal - to draw attention to the herders’ plight, calling for the country to preserve its nomad culture.
“We are scared of losing our culture and the heritage of our ancestors. Our national identity is entirely dependent on nomad culture”, says one band member.
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