Today in Focus

Ulaanbaatar: a warning from the coldest capital on Earth

Jul 11, 2025
Tracey McVeigh, Editor at The Guardian, teams up with Badruun Gardi, co-founder of the New Nomad Institute, to explore Mongolia’s climate crisis. They discuss the brutal winters and increasingly dry summers affecting traditional herding practices. Badruun shares insights into the challenges faced by nomads as urbanization encroaches on their way of life. The conversation also highlights how lessons from nomadic culture, such as adaptability and harmony with nature, could guide modern solutions to climate change.
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ANECDOTE

Mongolia's Vast, Open Landscape

  • Tracey McVeigh describes the vast, stunning, and open landscape of Mongolia and Ulaanbaatar city with endless sky and space. - She feels like a tiny part of this vast natural environment, overwhelmed by its immensity.
INSIGHT

Climate Crisis Disrupts Nomadic Life

  • Mongolia's climate disruption means winters get colder and longer, summers warmer, severely impacting traditional herding. - The brutal winters caused massive livestock losses, pushing nomads into cities seeking jobs.
INSIGHT

Nomadism Still Central in Mongolia

  • About a third of Mongolia's 3.5 million people still live nomadically, moving seasonally for pasture and water for their large herds. - The ger—a mobile, 3000-year-old dwelling—is central to nomadic resilience in Mongolia's extreme climates.
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