Summer is just around the corner. As the warm and sunny days often distract us from the pressing issue of air quality in Ulaanbaatar. Unfortunately, in just a few months, we will once again face the harsh reality of air pollution,and it will be a hot topic of discussion.It’s important to find ways to reduce air pollution.

Let In this article, let’s explore it.

Addressing air pollution requires a systematic approach, beginning with the identification and measurement of its sources. Since 2019, the Capital Air Pollution Control Center has been conducting an annual census of all stoves in the ger districts,and tracking the amount of improved solid fuel (briquettes) being burned. On average,approximately 87,000 houses and 73,300 felt gers in Ulaanbaatar’s ger districts burn about 560,000 tons of improved fuel annually. This data suggests that if households with stoves simply reduce the frequency of heating, air pollution could  decrease making clean air an achievable goal.

Is it really possible for these households to stop burning fuel altogether? To understand this, we need to consider why we burn fuel in the first place: —primarily,  to stay warm and comfortable during the harsh winter months. A highly effective solution would be to insulate the 87,000 houses and 73,300 felt gers. This could reduce solid fuel usage by 30%, which translates to approximately 174,000 tons annually. Since burning one ton of briquettes releases an estimated 2.6 tons of CO₂, saving 174,000 tons of fuel would prevent about 452,400 tons of CO₂ from being released into the atmosphere. These calculations are based on real evidence and demonstrate that insulation can significantly reduce pollution.

To absorb this much CO₂, around 7.5 million ten-year-old trees would be required.  In other words, insulating detached house would have the same positive environmental impact as planting 7.5 million trees each year. This would lead to lower emissions,reduce global warming and a significant reduction in Mongolia’s environmental footprint. Additionally, reducing fuel usage by 30% would conserve the vast amounts of water currently used in briquette production—hundreds of thousands of tons annually. Producing one ton of briquettes requires 1–2 tons of water. Therefore, cutting consumption by 174,000 tons would save 174,000–348,000 tons of water, equivalent to the annual water usage of 7,000 to 10,000 households—or about the volume of 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Insulating a single house roof costs about 3–5 million MNT on average. For 87,000 houses, this amounts to a total of 261–435 billion MNT. Insulating a single ger costs about 4.2 million MNT, which brings the cost for 73,300 gers to around 308 billion MNT. Altogether, insulating all houses and gers would require an estimated investment of 569–743 billion MNT. Spread across four years, the annual investment would be up to 186 billion MNT.

However, not every household has the money to insulate their home readily available.Just as we use loans to purchase smartphones or electronics, insulation can also be financed through loans. Banks such as Khan, Xac, Bogd, Capitron, and State Bank—as well as non-bank financial institutions like Transcapital, Vision Fund, and GSB Capital—are currently offering green loans to help households invest in warmer, healthier living conditions.

Insulating your home isn’t just about keeping your family warm—it’s one of the simplest yet most powerful actions you can take to protect our air, water, soil, plants, and animals. During the “SOAP I” project, which ran from 2018 to 2022, a total of 1,546 households installed insulation, helping prevent the use of 2,411 tons of fuel and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 3,556 tons.

You could be the next person to make a real change. Insulate your home—warm your future.