Mongolia

Decades of economic dependence on dirty industry and mining has left Mongolia an unequal and polluted society. A third of the population remains below the poverty line, and the citizens of Ulaanbaatar breathe air that is five times dirtier than Beijing’s.

Happily, the country is also a textbook example of the promises and opportunities of the green transition. The country’s rolling steppes and deserts are perfect for wind and solar, with a vast estimated potential of 2.6TW – as much as the entire energy demand of the United States. Recognising this, Mongolia was the first country to sign up to the UN’s Partnership for Action on the Green Economy (PAGE), and investments in the clean economy are already creating new green jobs and sustainable growth.

Steppe change

Our partners the Economic Policy & Competitiveness Research Centre (EPCRC) are helping lead the way. Running the GEC’s Mongolian dialogue hub, they’re bringing together networks of civil society, business and government to:

• Help local entrepreneurs access finance to develop innovative green projects
• Develop future economic scenarios and policy roadmaps to inform decision making
• Demonstrate the value of green investment through workshops, policy briefings and research papers