COP17 is over. Nearly 200 parties spent two weeks in Ulaanbaatar trying to turn desertification pledges into actual action. Did the parties turn their pledges into unanimous binding declarations?

We discuss how COP17 turned out, the major decisions, and the overall sentiment. We are joined by guests who know more about Rio conventions, Enkhuun Byambadorj of Breathe Mongolia, who worked with the UNCCD's Civil Society Organizations panel throughout, and Sainsanaa Amarsanaa, COP29 youth delegate and the host of the Beyond Greenhouse podcast.

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Hosts: Anand Tumurtogoo, Julian Dierkes
Guests: Enkhuun Byambadorj (Breathe Mongolia), Sainsanaa Amarsanaa (Beyond Greenhouse)
Keywords: COP17 | UNCCD | Mongolia | desertification | land restoration | civil society | drought | Ulaanbaatar

Mongolia has been facing fuel shortages since the start of summer. The conflict in the Strait of Hormuz and Ukraine's drone strikes on key Russian infrastructure have had their measure impact on Mongolia's fuel supplies. Even as reports show fuel being constantly transported into Mongolia, the country has had less than 20 days of reserves. Recently, the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources went around Ulaanbaatar cracking down on petrol businesses that have been lying about running out of fuel. This has caused major disruptions across the country. This isn't the first time Mongolia has faced fuel shortages, but should this be a wake-up call for Mongolia to plan ahead, look for alternatives -- even look towards China's booming EVs and let go of its old fears of China? We discuss this with Telmen Altanshagai, an energy security specialist, and her recent article in The Diplomat.

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Hosts: Anand, Dolgion

Guest: Telmen Altanshagai

Keywords: Mongolia | fuel shortage | energy security | Russia | Strait of Hormuz | Ukraine war | electrification | China

Simon Wickham-Smith joins us on this episode. Simon is the foremost scholar and translator of contemporary Mongolian literature into English, he's spent decades bringing Mongolian prose and poetry to readers who'd otherwise have no way in — work that culminated in Politics and Literature in Mongolia (1921-48), one of the only English-language studies of the period. Simon and we discuss his book and what Natsagdorj Dashdorj meant to Mongolians and why he is so revered and should he be revered.
Here is the link to Simon's book: Politics and Literature in Mongolia (1921-1948) | Simon Wickhamsmith |
Simon’s podcast conversation about that book on New Books Network: East Asian Studies
And here is the link to read English translation of the Tears of Venerable Lama: TEARS OF A VENERABLE LAMA | Translation Studies

If you have suggestions for our show, please get in touch at info[at]agulamedia.com

And if you're a supporter of us at Buy Me a Coffee, The Great State Mural — thank you for keeping the show going. And if you live in Mongolia you can directly support the podcast by donating to our account:

Pocketcast | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Hosts: Anand, Julian

Guest: Simon Wickham-Smith

Keywords: Mongolia | Natsagdorj | Mongolian literature | Simon Wickham-Smith | 1921 revolution | Mongolian People's Republic | translation | poetry | Soviet literature