Environment
From Mongol Studies Online Reference
The communist party regime’s industrial growth policy and the rapid urbanization since subsequent liberation have both brought about a rapid deterioration of the environment. The abundance of soft coal in Mongolia and the extremity of the winters contribute heavily to air pollution, and summer dust storms sweep the countryside and capital. Coal burners include individual homes, power plants, and factories, though the latter two categories are almost exclusively restricted to the city [1]. Mongolia’s rating for urban green plantation per person was five times lower than international standard in 2005 [2]. Virgin land exhaustion and soil erosion are the rise as a result of overgrazing livestock and overplowing to increase grain and hay production. Deforestation is another issue in the Western parts of the country. As scale of privatized livestock and lumber operations increases, the overgrazing and deforestation become concentrated in specific areas.
As more foreign miners leave Mongolia (see Windfall Profit Tax), rapid and unregulated growth in the mining sector has become a focus of public debate. The non-transparency of government awarding of licenses is one issue, as is question of equitability regarding economic rents between foreign investors and the Mongolian Government. Concern over non-transparency and over environmental impact overlap, as non-transparent environmental agreements often spell negative results for local community, ecology, and agriculture [3].
Mongolia's environmental protection laws are spelled out in the constitution and the Environmental Protection Law of Mongolia [4].
[edit] References
- ↑ Background Note: Mongolia. Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. US Department of State. Accessed July 2008.
- ↑ [http://siteresources.worldbank.org/MONGOLIAEXTN/Resources/G_Infrastucture_eng_final.pdf "Infrastructure Strategy Review: Making Choices in Provision of Infrastructure Services"]. Government of Mongolia - External Partners Technical Meeting. October 10 2006.
- ↑ Background Note: Mongolia. Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. US Department of State. Accessed July 2008.
- ↑ Environmental Protection Law of Mongolia. Ulaanbaatar, March 30 1995. Amended 1998. Accessed July 2008.
