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Children and Climate Change in Mongolia:

Children’s Increasing Vulnerability and their Capacity as Agents for

Community Based Adaptation

Preslava Nenova-Knight

Global climate change is already affecting Mongolia. It is

putting poor and vulnerable children and their parents at risk

of losing their lives and livelihoods in the short run and

becoming increasingly vulnerable to detrimental changes in

the long run. Predicted effects include the increased

frequency of extreme weather and environmental hazards,

such as flash floods, droughts, snow and dust storms as

well as gradual unfavourable changes in precipitation

patterns, the shifting in ecological zones and

desertification.

Climate change is not a process that is occurring in

isolation, it will impact all processes and developments in

Mongolia, but most importantly the ways in which children

and their parents are able to access nutritious food, safe

water and sustain their livelihoods in a safe environment.

Therefore, climate change need not be addressed by

separate interventions, rather its impacts on core

development priorities must be continuously assessed and

such assessment integrated into the design, monitoring

and evaluation of programmes and policies.

A large portion of Mongolia’s population, and

mostly children, are vulnerable to extreme

weather events, the frequency and severity of

which is predicted to increase with climate

change. In this sense the reduction of child

vulnerability and the strengthening of Disaster

Risk Reduction policies in Mongolia can be seen

as key elements of adaptation to climate change

in the country.

Where the full extent of localised impacts is not

known with certainty, building resilience at the

household and community, local and national

levels must remain urgent priorities.

The capacity of local and national institutions to

adjust, modify or change their practices so as to

provide an enabling environment for sustainable

livelihoods in a changing climate should also be

built upon.

This paper outlines the most pressing issues

concerning children and climate change in

Mongolia and presents examples of children’s

capacity as agents for community based climate

change adaptation, before outlining

recommendations on priority actions to

strengthen climate resilience at all levels with a

focus on vulnerable children.

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Risks to Children in Mongolia posed by

Climate Change

Decreased Access to Food. The more frequent

occurrence of livelihood shocks and increasingly

uncertain availability of natural resources to sustain

pastoral livelihoods will mean that food insecurity

among vulnerable children and parents will increase

with the following implications for children:

- Infectious diseases become more prevalent

and more likely to lead to infant mortality as

lowered immunity among children results from

increasing food and micronutrient shortages.

- Children become stunted or have poor brain

and physical development due to malnutrition.

Children under five years old are particularly

vulnerable to the effects of malnutrition since

they are in a vital stage of development and

lack of nutrients affects their lives and capacity

in the long term.

The level of food insecurity is high amongst children

in Mongolia. Seasonal food insecurity will be

severely exacerbated by increasingly adverse

weather and climate patterns caused by climate

change. In the rural calendar early spring is when

food is most scarce. Climate change is predicted

to exacerbate this as conditions leading up to

spring will be harsher for livestock and the onset

of spring will become delayed. More frequent

dzuds caused by climate change will lead to the

increased deaths of livestock, creating severe

food shortages in spring.

Dzud: A Mongolian word for mass mortality of

livestock resulting from a sequence of or single

occurrences of weather and environmental

extremes

There is a strong relationship between food

insecurity and the shocks and stresses caused

by climate change. This highlights the need to

address the underlying causes of lack of access

to food, whilst considering how these causes

will be affected by climate change. Food

insecurity is a key cause of vulnerability to

climate change and disasters.

Isolation. Isolation in remote areas will increase due

to the lack of road access as snow blizzards, snow

cover and dangerous icing are expected to become

more frequent. In the winter of the 2010, 12,500

people were left stranded in remote areas of which

almost 5,000 were children, elderly people, disabled

people and pregnant women (UNDP 2010). These

people were left with no access to fuel supplies,

medical services, medicines and facilities. For

children this means:

- Infants are delivered under unsafe conditions

increasing the risks of disability, death and

maternal complications, as families are more

likely to be cut off from healthcare facilities,

and increased stress will be placed on hospital

fuel reserves and infrastructure.

- Infants may die due to an increased prevalence

and fatality of pneumonia, Acute Respiratory

Infections and other infectious diseases

without access to medical treatment.

Disasters. The occurrence of dzud and other

climate-related disasters will become more

frequent with climate change, affecting child

vulnerability in the following ways:

- Children increasingly become engaged in risky

household coping strategies such as livestock

herding during snow blizzards.

- Children cannot be protected and cared for

properly when their parents are under extreme

stress, and they become vulnerable to a range

of other hazards in the home and outdoors.

There is evidence to show that parental stress

following a disaster increases child neglect and

thus vulnerability to injury and sickness.

- Children often become psychologically

traumatised. Psychological stress, resulting in

psychosocial trauma, makes it more difficult

for these children to enter into education. A

recent study by UNICEF revealed that 47

percent of children in areas affected by dzud

revealed signs of psychological stress -

characterized by expressions of

disappointment, loss of self-confidence,

nervousness and insomnia.

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- More children will drop out of school and

some children may be coerced into or enter

child labour out of necessity in the aftermath

of a dzud. Boys are particularly vulnerable and

a particularly hazardous form of child labour is

informal mining.

Water Scarcity. An increased prevalence of

droughts and a decrease in the availability of

ground and open water sources will lead to:

- Increased risks to children’s health from water

borne infectious diseases.

- Deaths of livestock and food insecurity for

children that are part of pastoralist families.

Children’s Roles in an Adaptable Society

and Evidence of Children’s Capacity to

Contribute to the Resilience of Mongolian

Households and Communities

Children’s capacity to contribute to the resilience

of households and communities has become

evident in a range of countries adapting to the

negative effects of a changing climate. In

Mongolia children are major contributors to

household subsistence and livelihood activities.

They have an excellent knowledge of their

environment and a strong sense of responsibility

and duty to their parents. They play an important

role in their household’s preparation for adverse

and hazardous conditions and in coping strategies

during a disaster. Their practical skills and

knowledge in doing so can and should be

considered as a starting point for further adaptive

capacity building efforts by UNICEF and other

stakeholders.

Children have a right to genuine participation in

climate change adaptation efforts. Participatory

Learning and Action tools and techniques can be

used effectively to empower children to share

ideas, learn from each other’s experiences, form

and express views and put them into action. This is

particularly important in assessing their own levels

of climate risk, vulnerability and capacity, mapping

hazards in their environment and making their voice

heard in policy dialogue on adaptation to climate

change.

In Tsetserleg, Arkhangai, groups of children used

pictorial diagrams to represent the necessities for

preparing a Mongolian child for a climatic hazard.

Without prompting children demonstrated

excellent awareness of the practicalities of

preparedness and the importance of early warning.

Children compiled exhaustive lists during inclusive

discussions with their peers. Items included: Mobile

phone to receive early warning messages or to alert

emergency services of hazard; map to identify the

location of the hazard and orient themselves to

safety spots, medical assistance and other human

capital, including numbers of people required to

help with laborious tasks was also identified as

essential in preparedness. This exercise

demonstrated the children’s ability to think

laterally, comprehensively and creatively about risk

reduction.

Children can play an important role in identifying

risky environments and environmental problems as

part of participatory adaptation planning. Children

in Mongolia have a detailed knowledge of their

physical environment. The participatory activities

described below are examples of children’s ability

to communicate this knowledge and use it as a basis

for action and positive change. A tool used

effectively for enabling Participatory Learning and

Action with children was child community and

hazards mapping.

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“…In springtime, rocks roll down onto the

playground… One of my friends was injured by

a rock… We want to have a playground where

we can spend our free time… This playground

is dangerous and not in a good place…” Boy, 11

years old, Chingeltei, Ulaanbaatar.

Children in peri-urban Ulaanbaatar, an area

identified as particularly vulnerable to climate

hazards and food insecurity, were randomly

selected from the streets of poorest area and

actively participated in producing detailed maps of

their community and locating hazardous areas and

areas affected by climate change. All of the children

depicted areas which flood during spring and

summer flash floods. During the activity and

without prompting, children expressed requests

and recommendations on actions they wanted

taken to improve their living environment and

safety in specific problem areas identified on their

maps of Chingeltei. They noted that the playground

they had depicted was presently inaccessible and

they wished it to be relocated as they have

nowhere to meet and play. They also pointed out

that this playground and other areas children

played at were located at a dangerous site where

rocks were prone to roll down in springtime.

“…Strong winds destroy the fences around our

ger, letting stray dogs wonder into our yard…

big floods happen in this area and I have seen

a ger floating on the flood water…” Boy, 10

years old, Chingeltei, Ulaanbaatar.

A ger is a traditional Mongolian mobile dwelling,

with a wooden frame and felt insulation walls, used

by pastoralists and settlers on the periphery of

cities who have lost or abandoned pastoralist

livelihoods.

Children pointing out hazards during a walk in their

neighbourhood in peri-urban Ulaanbaatar

Continuing over-crowding of urban areas due to

climate change stresses in rural Mongolia will

worsen living conditions for peri-urban children

unless adaptation actions are taken with urgency.

The lack of safety in the environment, the wide

range and magnitude of the risks the children are

exposed to and the severe lack of suitable space for

children to play or spend leisure time all make a

striking impression in peri-urban Ulaanbaatar.

In Mongolia, children are often the main actors in

household coping strategies during disaster or

during periods of hardship. It is important to

distinguish between coping measures and

household adaptive capacity. The involvement of

children in emergency coping strategies is more

likely to increase their vulnerability rather than be

indicative of their heightened capacity as agents for

climate change adaptation.

Children holding up a map they have drawn of their living

area, including sites affected by climatic hazards

Learning and adapting: Children have a

greater capacity to learn and adapt to new

things. In the context of climate change,

children are therefore well placed to drive

forward shifts in behaviour which enable

climate resilient development.

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Children taking part in a focus group discussions and

participatory exercises

“…At school rural children worry a lot about

their families back home when a dzud strikes.

Many children need to take days off school to

travel back to the family camp in order to

assist with care of the livestock. One boy from

my school lost his life while herding livestock

in a winter blizzard when he was 15. His

parents informed the teacher, who then

informed my class.” Girl, 16 years old, Khotont

soum, Arkhangai.

There is a lack of adaptive capacity at the household

level, which means households are unable to

prepare for, anticipate or react to a hazard with

flexibility using physical, social or adult human

capital. This means children are more likely to

become involved in emergency coping strategies

which typically increase their vulnerability.

“…Rural children are more at risk to disaster

than urban children because rural children

herd cattle. Many people live in very remote

areas and have no transport apart from horses

meaning they have no quick way to access

hospitals in an emergency.” Excerpts from

group discussions with adolescent schoolchildren

in Tsetserleg, Arkhangai.

Girl, 15 years old, milking her family’s yak. In the remote

pasture camp, she and her sister are responsible for the

livestock and their young brother, as their parents are

away for two days. Children’s practical contributions to

skills and knowledge mean they should be included in

practical adaptation solutions and decision making.

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The terms “adaptation” and “coping” are sometimes used interchangeably, leading to confusion

about the similarities and differences between these two important concepts.

Coping Adaptation

Short-term and immediate

Oriented towards survival

Not continuous

Motivated by crisis, reactive

Often degrades resource base

Prompted by a lack of alternatives

Oriented towards longer term livelihoods

security

A continuous process

Results are sustained

Uses resources efficiently and sustainably

Involves planning

Combines old and new strategies and knowledge

Focused on finding alternatives

Implications for Children in Mongolia

Children drop out of school in order to

assist with household coping strategies.

Children are coerced into hard labour as a

livelihood coping strategy, lose their right to

leisure time and become exposed to a

hazardous or unhealthy work environment.

Children are exposed to hazardous

conditions in order to secure household

livestock survival. There have been

recorded cases of children perishing while

herding livestock during extreme climatic

conditions.

Emergency coping strategies include tying

of children to furniture in order to restrain

their movement as a substitute for child

care, ensuring children do not burn

themselves on the stove or stray outdoors

while parents are busy with labour during a

disaster.

Implications for Children in Mongolia

Children have a chance at involvement in

planning for their future and in becoming agents

for change.

Livelihood and food security for children are

integrated into adaptation planning in a

sustainable way.

Emphasis on future sustainability allows for

inter-generational equity.

Continuous participatory learning and action for

adaptation can ensure that parents and children

can take stock of new and innovative strategies

in building their resilience to climatic hazards

and adapting to a changed environment.

Longer term nature of adaptation ensures

capacities of children, parents and communities

are built over time catering for social and

cultural specificities of remote, isolated or

excluded children and adults.

“In the last winter of dzud I took turns to herd

our livestock...around 40 animals. I need to dig

the snow to assist the livestock to access the

grass, sometimes by hand. When there is a

snow blizzard I can’t see my way and I’m

afraid of getting lost. I’m also afraid of wolves.

My cheeks and ears freeze and I get frostbite…

this makes my ears very painful by the evening

and liquid comes from my ears.” Girl, 16 years

old, Khashaat soum, Arkhangai.

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“…If a family has no way of receiving weather

forecast information, they can be affected by a

disaster. Rural children have less access to

weather warnings. Disasters may cause

parents' care for children to weaken.”

“…Young children don’t have knowledge

about just how dangerous extreme weather

conditions can be. If they do not have proper

care then they are more exposed to the

dangers.” Excerpts from group discussions with

adolescent schoolchildren in Tsetserleg,

Arkhangai.

Urgent Action for Child- Centered Climate

Change Adaptation in Mongolia

The following are ways in which UNICEF, partner

institutions and the Government of Mongolia can

cooperate to reduce the vulnerability and

enhance the adaptive capacity of the poorest and

most vulnerable children and their families:

Where the impacts of climate change remain

uncertain, measures that reduce communities’

underlying vulnerability to any shocks and

trends will be needed, such as: a focus on

children’s rights, empowering poor or

marginalised children and communities to be

involved in decision making, provision of

services and resources for health and education.

1. Ensuring a coordinated effort for national

disaster preparedness and DRR. Further

support for the Government and NEMA in the

co-ordination and management of national

disaster preparedness programming, including

strengthening of early warning systems and

ensuring child participation in the design and

implementation of local level DRR.

2. Addressing access to food and proper

nutrition. Interventions can include livelihood

diversification assistance, vocational skills

training and awareness raising on proper

nutrition for growing children and pregnant

women.

3. Climate-proofed and retrofitted schools,

dormitories, hospitals, play areas, wells and

infrastructure. This is an urgent priority in

Mongolia. Dilapidated infrastructure needs

to be rehabilitated and adapted to an

increasingly severe and changing climate.

Incorporation of climate-proofing principles

into legally-binding building codes may be an

effective way to ensure this practice is

sustained.

4. Ensuring genuine participation of children in

climate change adaptation efforts.

Important activities should include

supporting the creation of participatory

contingency plans with children in schools

and dormitories and encouraging children to

monitor their own levels of risk. The

participation of children who are typically

excluded from conversations in wider society

should also be a focus.

5. Mainstreaming of climate change into key

policy documents relating to children.

Ensure that major national strategy and

policy documents relating to children include

an assessment of climate change risks to

priorities they set out, explicitly address

climate change and have been reviewed for

climate sensitivity and resilience.

6. Education for children in remote areas.

Continue the support to mobile education

programmes to ensure the access to

information and the socialisation of children

in remote areas enabling them to express

opinions and views and to associate act on

adaptation to climate change.

The adaptive capacity of local and national

institutions, communities and households is

vital in the success of adaptation efforts. This

includes the acknowledgement at community

level of the contributions children make, for

instance to household and community

resilience, and of what they are capable of so

that adults and children together can respect,

protect and realise child agency for adaptive

livelihoods.

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Adaptation to climate change should also be

mainstreamed in the following objectives

which are already priorities of the Government

of Mongolia:

Support to programmes that improve access

to safe water and sanitation. Priority areas are

rural and peri-urban settlements. Linking

MNET, the Water Authority, and other

partners, targeted efforts could ensure that

adequate budget allocations and resources are

made to increase investments in the water

sector, with focus on peri-urban supply as well

as reaching remote off-grid population centres.

Initiatives could also engage relevant

authorities in drafting and strengthening action

plans under the new Integrated Water

Resources Management Plan (national level)

and Integrated Urban Water Management Plan

(Orkhon-Tuul river basin level), helping to

ensure that stakeholders are engaged and that

hospitals, schools and domestic use are

prioritized in water sector plans. UNICEF will

help identify urban communities who are and

will be most affected by shortages in water

supply, and propose short, medium and long-

term solutions to help ensure that essential

needs are met.

Providing sustainable solutions for heating

energy. Increasing frequency of dzuds due to

climate change will lead to increased pressure

on fuel supplies for households. This may lead to

an increase in the use of low quality solid fuels

which have been shown to be one of the leading

causes of morbidity among children in Mongolia

when used indoors for heating and cooking.

Sustainable solutions to this problem should

focus on reduced fuel and energy expenditure by

poor households and on healthier solutions for

domestic heating and cooking fuel and electricity

supply. Such solutions would be in line with

Mongolia’s National Renewable Energy

Programme and work with the Government

should ensure that schools and hospitals are

priority targets. The Global Alliance for Clean

Cookstoves may also be a source of lessons of

good practice and possible partnerships for

similar initiatives in Mongolia.

Strengthening the role of local institutions and

Government in the provision of public goods

and services and the role of Government in

regulating market outcomes for subsistence

pastoralists. These should include the

identification of roles for local and central

government and priority areas include the

supply of emergency and seasonal fodder stocks,

and measures improving rapid destocking

capacity through market based solutions.

Photographs by: Preslava Nenova-Knight