Shivering in Ulaanbaatar

Upon getting a city bus after landing at Chinggis Khan International, I was driven along with some friends to downtown Ulaanbaatar to what would be our home for the next one week.

Last week was to be the penultimate meeting of civil society groups from Asia and Europe before the 11th Asia-Europe People’s Forum – a parallel meeting held alongside the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) – which is planned to take place in Ulaanbaatar as well.

While embracing the immense beauty of Mongolia’s countryside and the grandeur of the vast lands which have remained relatively untouched, my attention was caught by a group of people who looked to be packing their yurts and moving – half of Ulaanbaatar’s population still live in tents – to an unknown location.

The bus driver then mentioned to the group that this was indeed the time when many relocated due to the chilling weather – it was -1°C when we arrived – and those who couldn’t afford heating equipment had to move to warmer areas.

Immediately, my mind switched focus from cleaning up my presentation – I was to speak on climate change and trade agreements at the conference – to thinking of the plight of this vulnerable group of people facing displacement due to changing weather patterns.

It then beckoned upon me that groups which will be worst hit by a changing climate are the underclass of society in various parts across the globe, those who can’t afford to deal with the consequences.

Fitting it was then, that the main point of talk in the three days was exactly that; deliberating on the experiences of changing weather patterns and its swingeing ability to thwack communities out of shape.

And the experiences shared were simply shattering.

Friends from the Philippines were still reeling from the effects of Typhoons Haiyan and Goni which wreaked havoc in early August this year.

Our hosts related their ordeals with inconsistent weather patterns which has resulted in Ulaanbaatar being the coldest capital city in the world with yearly average temperatures of -2.1°C.

Such temperatures also put an incredible stress on energy distribution systems which have to power heating devices in every household so that people are kept warm.

But that is not all.

Across the globe, climate justice groups have estimated that temperatures will rise by at least 4°C by 2020 – the UN target is 2°C – as there has been no visible undertaking by states in the run up to the COP21 Conference in Paris next month.

And that’s just the average.

While we haven’t yet taken this seriously in Malaysia, the warning signs are already prevalent.

Last year’s devastating floods in the east coast for one has still left communities in the lurch, while the tectonic shifts in Sabah rocked Malaysia to its core and served as a wakeup call to many.

Indeed, even the reducing water reserves in several provinces in Malaysia including Selangor point to this; that shifting weather patterns – if ignored – will bite us in the behind and we will be caught flat-footed.

Malaysia’s recent responses to crises have left a sour taste in the mouth and we can ill afford another catastrophe especially at this point in time.

When we arrived at our hotel and got off the bus, the sharp cold hit my spine, which left my mind wandering again to the people carrying their folded yurts on camel backs looking for another place to stay.

I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like if communities in Malaysia were forced to pack and move due to climate meltdowns.

An unpleasant sight without doubt. – October 14, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.