False, Barron’s and Deutsche Welle, Climate Change Isn’t Endangering Mongolian Herding
By
H. Sterling Burnett
April 1, 2025
Recently several domestic and foreign media outlets, such as Barron’s and Deutsche Welle (DW) posted articles claiming that climate change threatened the lifestyles and livelihoods of Mongolian herding communities, citing livestock losses caused by severe winters in recent years. This is false. Extended, cyclical periods of severe winter weather, called zud or dzud, typified by extremely cold temperatures and heavy snow or ice, have plagued Mongolian herders throughout history, and there is no evidence suggesting climate change has made these events more common or severe.
Livestock raising, herding in particular, is a traditional and critical vocation in Mongolia, accounting for a significant portion of Mongolia’s domestic agriculture industry and its agricultural exports, even today. Five animals are commonly herded across Mongolia’s steppes or grasslands: camels, cattle (including yaks), goats, horses, and sheep. These animals provide transportation, hides for clothing and shelter, milk, cheese, and meat.
The Barron’s article, “Climate Change Pushes Mongolian Herders To The Brink,” and DW’s similarly titled, “Climate change endangers Mongolian herders’ livelihoods,” claim high livestock losses in Mongolia this past winter and periodically in other winters over the past couple of decades are due to climate change.
“Traditional herders are struggling to get by on the Mongolian steppe,” writes DW. “The vast country is being hit particularly hard by climate change and extreme weather.”
https://climaterealism.com/2025/04/false-barrons-and-deutsche-welle-climate-change-isnt-endangering-mongolian-herding/
