Reposted from The Atlantic
By Nina Wegner
A new mine promises to provide great wealth to Mongolia. But at what cost?
The launch this year of Oyu Tolgoi, the world’s largest untapped copper-and-gold mine, has ignited a debate in Mongolia about how to avoid a massive rise in income disparity. While most of the country’s wealth accrues in the nation’s capital, the vast majority of nomadic herders, who make up a third of Mongolia’s population, remain skeptical that they will reap any benefits from this new venture. The herders who live near Oyu Tolgoi in the Gobi Desert say they are getting both the best and worst of the deal. More…
