January, 2008
Video: Blackwater: Man Vs. Mill

By Eric Daigh
Circle of Blue

KDianhua Paper Mill discharged 2.5 million tons of untreated industrial wastewater every year into a lagoon that ruptured near an Inner Mongolian village, killing sheep, sickening people, and damaging grasslands. A group of herders brought suit and won a small settlement. The contamination persists.

Inner Mongolia photos

 
Video: Desert Overtaking Inner Mongolia

By Eric Daigh
Circle of Blue


Changes in patterns of precipitation in an already parched region, leading to severe shortages of freshwater, plays an integral role in the spread of desertification in China’s Inner Mongolia. But agreeing on the underlying socioeconomic drivers and solving the problems have fostered divisions between the government and its people.

Inner Mongolia photos

 
Video: Reign of Sand

By Eric Daigh
Circle of Blue

The blowing sand in Inner Mongolia is more evidence of the consequences of the irrational duel China fights daily as it promotes rapid industrial development while exposing land, water, communities, and people to levels of pollution, waste, and resource diminishment never before seen on the planet.

Inner Mongolia photos

 
Video: Looking Out on My Homeland

By Eric Daigh
Circle of Blue

Traditional nomadic culture on the steppes of Inner Mongolia was defined by the insistence of wind, herding, and the search for water. A ballad, performed by Maidar, celebrates what’s left: Air that is rarely still and great expanses of tall grass unfurling like a great waving sea beneath surpassingly huge skies.

Inner Mongolia photos

 

World Economic Forum Press Release

 

Davos, Switzerland, 27 January 2008 – The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008 closed today with a call by business, government and civil society leaders for a new brand of collaborative and innovative leadership to address the challenges of globalization, particularly the pressing problems of conflict – especially in the Middle East, terrorism, climate change and water conservation.

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Astronaut Jerry Linenger answers the Davos Question

DAVOS — Check out Jerry Linenger’s appearance on YouTube, answering the Davos Question. More soon from the World Economic Forum.

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Davos, Switzerland (23 January 2008) – (WEF press release) Global crises from escalating demand for fresh water and inadequate supply are as urgent as efforts to tackle climate change – yet are more vexing and complicated, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008 heard today.

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Dianhua Paper Mill discharged 2.5 million tons of untreated industrial wastewater every year into a lagoon that ruptured near an Inner Mongolian village, killing sheep, sickening people, and damaging grasslands. A group of herders brought suit and won a small settlement. The contamination persists. Photography by Palani Mohan, Getty Images, for Circle of Blue

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Most of Circle of Blue’s reporting occurred in East Umchjin County, near the border with Mongolia, a place renowned for what Chinese scientists call “typical grasslands.” Here Eric Daigh, senior producer, prepares for an interview in a herder’s home. Photography by Palani Mohan, Getty Images, for Circle of Blue

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 An Inner Mongolia herder, confined by the government to a small pasture for his animals, is nevertheless more fortunate than some. His well taps an ample supply of fresh water. Photography by Palani Mohan, Getty Images, for Circle of Blue

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