False, Barron's and Deutsche Welle, climate change has not harmed Mongolian grazing – What about Watt?

From the climateRealism

By H. Sterling Burnett

Several domestic and foreign media recently, such as Barron's and German wave (DW) published an article claiming that climate change threatens the lifestyle and livelihoods of Mongolian herd communities, citing livestock losses caused by severe winters in recent years. This is wrong. Extended, periodic severe winter weather, called Zud or Dzud, represented by extremely cold temperatures and snow or ice, has plagued Mongolian herders throughout history, and there is no evidence that climate change makes these events more common or severe.

Livestock feeding, especially grazing, is a tradition and key occupation in Mongolia. Even today, most of the Mongolians' domestic agricultural industries and agricultural exports are large. Five animals are usually grazed on grasslands or grasslands in Mongolia: camels, cattle (including cattle), goats, horses and sheep. These animals are provided for transportation, raw skin, for clothing and shelter, milk, cheese and meat.

Barron’s article “Climate change pushes Mongolian herders to the edge”, while DW’s title is similarly “Climate change harms the livelihoods of Mongolian herders”, claiming that the loss of livestock in Mongolia in the past winter is high, and in the past few decades, it has also been regularly due to climate change among several other winners.

“Traditional herders are working to capture the Mongolian grasslands,” DW wrote. “The vast country is hit by climate change and extreme weather.”

Similarly Barron's Write: “[a]Mongolia crossed Mongolia and more than 7 million animals were killed, more than one-tenth of the country's total.

There are multiple falsely connected and misleading statements in the articles they come from.

Different types of species are common in Mongolia’s history, sometimes causing up to 50% of the national livestock loss. A study on DZUDS:

dzuds (D is silent, Z is long, UD is called UD in Udder) has influenced Mongolia throughout history. These winter storms are a combination of deep cold, strong winds, heavy snow and ice. The storm is fierce enough to freeze the entire herd overnight, and the snow is so deep that it can cause mountain flooding when it melts in spring.

The same study claims that dzuds have become more frequent in recent years. But historical tracking of Dzuds was sparse before modern satellites, multinational news agencies and even modern national government agencies monitored and tracked such events. Like hurricanes and tornado tracking, DZUDs that may have occurred in the past may occur more frequently than they are now, as despite being affected by isolated herders, the reports and records of events and related losses have not been reported and recorded. For example, 15 dzuds were recorded in the 1700s, but there were unknown how many unreported/recorded situations might have occurred. There was no official tracking, no temperature records, no snow records, no agency and fewer herders and livestock, more isolated and sparsely scattered on the grasslands. For example, there is no evidence that cold weather or heavy winter storms have become increasingly common or chaotic over the past century, so there is no reason to believe that dzuds have become more common.

As many as before Climate Realism Article data does not support the constant story resilience of mainstream media, believing that climate change makes the weather more extreme and that climate change does not change polar vortexes – making extreme cold more common, severe and/or unpredictable. Extreme cold or ice will not be more common or severe either. In fact, as discussed in Climate: Cold Climate, the intergovernmental climate change panel shows that “it’s very likely’ that there’s less cold days and nights in recent decades, and the authors of the report further claim that due to the extremes of global warming, ‘almost certainly’ can be almost reduced’.”

Although the loss of livestock in recent years has undoubtedly been devastating for some herders, data suggest that cattle herds have grown significantly in recent periods of moderate warming. Some of the losses are due to the fact that population growth, but grazing areas are still relatively stable, so in some areas, overgrazing areas have become a problem. Therefore, when the dzuds strike, there will be more animals in areas with less feed. Even then, the percentage of livestock losses in the past as an estimated population is still greater than the current one.

Indeed, even if the earth is slightly warm, there are more dzuds Reportdata from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that the number of livestock has increased due to climate change and has not been reduced. From 1993 to 2023, FAO data shows:

• Mongolian camel stocks grew by more than 14%;
• Mongolian cattle (including cattle) increased by about 90%;
• Mongolian goat herd expanded by nearly 340%.
• Mongolian horse breeds grew by nearly 95%.
• Mongolian sheep flocks grew slightly above 100%. (See the picture below)

Although some herders may have suffered almost devastating losses in the recent DZUD incidents, there is no measure to prove that recent climate change is threatening Mongolia’s grazing culture or traditions.

Media such as Barron's and DW should claim climate change without evidence, based on some unverified claims, and therefore the data and historical context should be examined. Like crop yields, grazing has always had to compete with changes in the weather. Mongolian herders have seen many times of climate change and have not been avoided in their livestock hunts, although sometimes dangerous weather events flourish, which may disappear in the short term.

H. Sterling Burnett

Dr. H. Sterling Burnett is the director of the Arthur B. Robinson Centre for Climate and Environmental Policy and the Executive Editor of Environmental and Climate News. In addition to the Arthur B. Robinson Center, which directs the Heartland Institute’s Climate and Environmental Policy Center, Burnett puts Environment and Climate News together, editor of Heartland’s Climate Change weekly emails and hosts the Environmental and Climate News.

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