Emily’s Piece #5: Part 3 of 3 — The Desert

Mongolia is undoubtedly harmed by fossil fuels. But the mining industry is also creating unprecedented GDP growth. How do these two realities square?

Set in the Gobi Desert, this story introduces listeners to the new faces of Mongolia, as they transition the economy from one based on herding to one based on mining. And it also speaks to an older generation of herders, as they see mining trucks skirt their property and their water wells dry up.

"My ancestors lived here," says Erdenebayar Naran, an environmental manager at mining project Oyu Tolgoi. "My generation's offspring will see me. I don't want them saying, 'My father did a terrible job and destroyed this land.'"

Meeting Mongolian herders where they are, Emily ventured to the Gobi Desert to interview herders planting trees to combat desertification. Photo Credit: Claire Harbage/NPR

Mongolia has seen a mining boom in the past decade. Emily visited Tavan Tolgoi to report on one of the world's largest untapped coal deposits. Photo Credit: Claire Harbage/NPR