Since the days of Genghis Khan, nomads have lived in gers — a traditional Mongolian round tent — but as extreme weather patterns threaten this Mongolian traditional lifestyle, many are moving to the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. The capital now competes with New Delhi for the title of most polluted capital because of the coal burned during the winter to keep the population warm. UNICEF published a report last year calling air pollution in Ulaanbaatar a child health crisis. The organization says it puts every child and pregnancy at risk and has led to a surge in stillbirths, pneumonia and bronchitis. One solution aimed at lowering emissions is a merging of a ger and a house designed by Hong Kong University in partnership with local startup GerHub. For VOA, Libby Hogan looks at possible solutions to the problem in this report from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
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