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    Winning the Fight Against Air Pollution in Ulaanbaatar

    Asian Development Bank | June 2018
    Abstract
    In winter, Ulaanbaatar is the coldest and most-polluted capital city in the world. The main cause of air pollution is the burning of raw coal for heating and cooking in ger areas, which accounts for 80% of the city’s PM2.5 (inhalable particulate matter of less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter). Rapid urbanization, driven by fewer economic opportunities in rural areas of Mongolia, will continue to put pressure on air pollution in Ulaanbaatar. The impacts of air pollution in Ulaanbaatar are severe and have enormous socioeconomic costs. These impacts are, unsurprisingly, hardest felt by the city’s vulnerable—the poor, the young, and the elderly. High exposure to pollution results in chronic illnesses, increased medical costs, and shorter life expectancy, and these effects in turn translate into productivity losses for the country. Mongolia’s challenge to reduce air pollution has unique aspects that require tailored solutions. However, there are important lessons from the successful experiences of other countries that can be adopted. These include improved data collection and monitoring, increased public awareness and government accountability, strengthened institutions, technology transfer, and financing mechanisms to support the transition to cleaner energy and technologies. Reducing pollution levels in Ulaanbaatar will be an extended process requiring a mix of short- and long-term actions. The Government of Mongolia has reinvigorated the country’s commitment to the issue through a number of recent actions and policy announcements. This briefing note presents recommendations that can crystallize the existing policy momentum into a long-term, institutionalized framework for sustainable solutions to reduce air pollution in Ulaanbaatar. In the shorter term, policies should focus on improving institutional management, increasing information flows, and implementing preventive measures that can be enacted quickly and with visible results. In the longer term, it is recommended to adopt reforms to ensure the sustainability of efforts to reduce pollution, such as curbing rural-urban migration by creating livelihood opportunities in rural areas, and redeveloping urban areas in line with environmental targets.
    Citation
    Asian Development Bank. 2018. Winning the Fight Against Air Pollution in Ulaanbaatar. © Asian Development Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/11540/9458.
    Keywords
    Work Environment
    Urban Environment
    Social Environment
    Regulatory Environments
    Marine Environment
    International Environmental Relations
    Institutional Environment Assessment
    Global Environment
    Environmental Sustainability
    Environmental Strategy
    Environmental Services
    Environmental Resources
    Environmental Management and Planning
    Environmental Issues
    Environmental Guidelines
    Environmental Effects
    Environment and Pollution Prevention
    Assessing Corporate Governance
    Corporate Governance Reform
    Governance Models
    Environmental Control
    Environmental Technology
    Land Development
    Forestry Development
    Fishery Development
    Environmental Statistics
    Environmental Planning
    Environmental Management
    Environmental Education
    Environmental Capacity
    Pollution Control
    Nature Protection
    Environmental Conservation
    Institutional Framework
    Business Management
    Corporate Restructuring
    Air quality indexes
    Ecological risk assessment
    Environmental impact evaluation
    Analysis of environmental impact
    Environmental toxicology
    Health risk assessment
    Rain and rainfall
    Acid precipitation
    Ozone-depleting substance mitigation
    Greenhouse gas mitigation
    Prevention of pollution
    Air quality
    Air quality management
    Pollution
    Personnel management
    Corporate reorganizations
    Intergovernmental cooperation
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    Citable URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/11540/9458
    Metadata
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    air-pollution-ulaanbaatar.pdf (690.3Kb)
    Author
    Asian Development Bank
    Theme
    Environment
    Governance
    Labor Migration
     
    Copyright 2016-2021 Asian Development Bank Institute, except as explicitly marked otherwise
    Copyright 2016-2021 Asian Development Bank Institute, except as explicitly marked otherwise