Another brutally cold winter in Mongolia, a country at the frontline of the global climate crisis, is putting children’s mental health and physical wellbeing at risk, owing to separation from caregivers and limited food and medicines, Save the Children said. About 90% of Mongolia is currently impacted by dzud[i] – a prolonged summer drought followed by severe winter conditions – according to the country’s National Emergency Management Agency, with much of the country under snow. Major dzuds used to take place about every decade in Mongolia but the frequency has increased in recent years due to climate change leading to pasture depletion.

This is the second consecutive severe dzud to hit Mongolia and the fifth in the past decade. More than 258,000 people have been affected so far this year – or about 8% of the population – including about 100,000 children, according to Save the Children.

Mongolia’s severe weather disruptions have made it one of the most affected countries when it comes to climate change. The harsh winter temperatures of –35 Celsius ( – 31 Fahrenheit) that the country is experiencing is killing livestock integral to the lives of many herders who account for 30% of the 3.5 million population. About 60,000 cattle have died so far this winter, between December and early January[ii].

Amid such extreme weather conditions, herders leave their children with older relatives or at dormitory schools while they tend to their animals, leading to psychological stress. Temperatures in Mongolia have plunged to historic lows in recent years and a lack of rain over the summer period meant that many herders could not prepare enough hay and fodder to see them through the harsh winter. Families with small herds who struggle to make ends meet, along with their children, often bear the brunt of disastrous weather conditions brought on by climate change.

Climate experts say the frequency and severity of dzuds is increasing and this can be attributed to the climate crisis. Temperatures in Mongolia are rising twice as fast as the global average, warming over 2C and a sharp fall in rainfall reported between 1940 and 2015.

In many provinces with heavy snowfall, roads need to be cleared for fodder, food and fuel to reach cut-off communities and to help sick or pregnant people to clinics and hospitals.

(source: Save the Children)