By Justin Douglas

Growing up in the Mongolian province of Arkhangai, Chatrabal Choijamts never imagined he would one day live in the country’s capital. Like his ancestors before him, he was a nomadic herder with nearly 100 cows, sheep, goats and horses.

Then four years ago, Choijamts and his wife had to end their family’s herding tradition. The last of their livestock had died after a series of droughts and dzuds (a Mongolian term for severely cold environmental conditions). In search of work, the family of 12 made the trek to Ulan Bator.

“I saw cattle everywhere frozen solid that were still standing in the fields,” says Choijamts. “People were weeping. Without our animals we have no life.”

Massive Migration
From 1999 to 2003, Mongolia’s government reports that dzuds killed 25 per cent of the country’s animal herds. As a result, tens of thousands of Mongolian herders, like Choijamts, are being forced to migrate elsewhere.

This migration trend is replicated around the world. Extreme weather conditions, such as dzuds, floods and hurricanes, are creating a new category of migrants known as “environmental refugees.” By UN estimates, 25 million already fall under this category. Environmental refugees now outnumber refugees who are fleeing wars or political persecution.

Poor Profoundly Impacted
The world’s poor often occupy areas most at risk from climate change, such as coastlines, flood plains and steep slopes. When you combine this with rising sea levels and the growing number and intensity of storms, climate change threatens to create new waves of environment-driven migration in areas already suffering from extreme poverty.

“The issue of equity is crucial. Climate affects us all, but does not affect us all equally,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegates at a climate conference in Indonesia last December.

“Those who are least able to cope are being hit hardest. Those who have done the least to cause the problem bear the gravest consequences,” said Ban.

World Vision Addressing the Issue
“World Vision is actively working with communities, governments, nongovernmental organizations and UN agencies, as well as corporations to find solutions and help facilitate adaptation to a changing environment,” says Otto Farkas, World Vision’s director of emergency response.

As an example, when Choijamts’ family arrived in Ulan Bator, they had nothing. World Vision provided them with the materials to build a ger, a traditional Mongolian dwelling.

World Vision also offered Choijamts skills training, and he has since found odd jobs as a carpenter and repaired cars in town. With this income, he keeps his family fed.

Choijamts peers out the small window of his ger in Ulan Bator toward the open plains where his family once thrived. He wonders if he will ever be able to return to pass on a lifetime of experiences as a herder to his children.

“What has happened here is a disaster that has no end,” he says.

Taking Action
You can buy a ger through the World Vision Gift Catalogue. Click here to learn more.