Prime Minister L.Oyun-Erdene has issued an ordinance on appointing B.Bat-Erdene as the Cabinet member and Minister of Environment and Tourism.

In accordance with the amendment to the Constitution of Mongolia, Prime Minister now shall appoint and dismiss the member of the cabinet, presenting the appointee to the State Great Khural and the President. According to the article, the newly appointed minister is to take the oath of office to the parliament.

Previously, Mrs. N.Urtnasan, Minister of Environment and Tourism, Ts.Batbayar Deputy Minister, and the minister’s State Secretary D.Ganbold have been dismissed from their jobs. The official are sharply criticized after blaming residents in Ulaanbaatar ger disctricts for burning more briquettes due to its cheap price and for increase of air pollution in the capital city. However, residents don’t have any options other than burning briquettes in cold winter nights. Ulaanbaatar is the one of the coldest capitals in the world; where night temperatures fell to Celsius -40.

In March 2019, the Mongolian government decided to totally ban the use of raw coal. Smoke from the shantytown ger districts, where over 220,000 families live – or half the population of the capital – has long been identified as the main culprit of Ulaanbaatar’s chronic air-pollution. In the light of the ban, the government has put an alternative product on the market made from semi-coke, a by-product of coal. While more expensive, these fuel-efficient briquettes are said to burn twice as long and emit far fewer fumes.