INNER MONGOLIA, CHINA - Sand from a dry lake bed streams through the hands of a nomadic herder in Inner Mongolia. Arxiaot Lake first went dry in 2003 and the resulting desert has doubled in size over the last four years. A new report from Circle of Blue says many of the conditions that produced the American Dust Bowl in the 1930s are now threatening China.
Photo: Palani Mohan/Getty Images for Circle of Blue
Let me indulge in some timely self promotion for my colleagues at Circle of Blue, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars China Environment Forum and the Pacific Institute. The Circle of Blue team, which I direct, publishes today its compelling multimedia report, "Reign of Sand," about the water crisis in Inner Mongolia, China. The multimedia package comes as China's spring dust storms approach. Scientists say the severity and frequency of the dust storms reflect worsening conditions, including: dryer climate, stronger winds, water shortages, over-grazing, population growth, and a clash between nomadic herders and the government over range and farmland management.
We've said before in this space that it will take powerful narratives and an informed public to respond to these unfolding crises. Take a look and be sure to click to suggest your story ideas, where we should send a team of reporters and why.
INNER MONGOLIA, CHINA - Furious dust and sandstorms from Inner Mongolia cripple airports, darken skies, and choke millions of people across East Asia every spring. According to "Reign of Sand," the new multimedia report from Circle of Blue, the storms are growing in intensity and frequency, and the primary causes are deepening drought in northern China and the mismanagement of the largest grasslands on earth.
See the full package here.
Follow J. Carl Ganter on Twitter: www.twitter.com/circleofblue
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