Mongolia’s air pollution crisis has reached its peak, with an estimated 7,000-plus Mongolians dying each year from polluted air. The public is not sitting idle. Since January, activists and families of victims of air pollution have called for action, demanding a public hearing with the government. The process of having that dialogue, though, illustrated underlining issues in media coverage, low attendance, and the coal producers’ conflict of interest.

On February 3 and 4, the Standing Committee on Environment, Food and Agriculture of the State Great Hural of Mongolia held a National General Oversight Hearing on the “implementation of policies and decisions on smog, and solutions within the framework of air pollution reduction.” The February hearings, co-initiated by civil society organizations led by Breathe Mongolia, incited national attention and a peaceful demonstration demanding urgent action on hazardous air pollution levels. The petition collected over 71,000 signatures within 10 days, reaching the required amount for it to be considered by the State Great Hural. 

According to the Mongolian parliament, the public hearing was attended by 15 out of 126 parliamentarians, representatives from 29 government organizations, 60 civil society organizations, and seven expert analysts. 

The hearing was organized throughout the month of January with Clean Air Coalition and air quality professionals in Mongolia. Before opening it to the public, organizers specified that there were four sessions of pre-hearing discussions. The process, however, highlighted several major realities in Mongolia’s efforts to combat air pollution.  

According to participants who were part of the organizing body, the air pollution pre-hearing discussions were not widely shared, with limited media coverage. Not only that, but participation and encouragement from government representatives was extremely low. 

The participation of the legislative branch is crucial in the process of improving air pollution and solving the protracted public health issues. However, the number of........

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