Abstract

This study examines changes in household emissions and urban air quality following Mongolia’s 2019 ban on raw coal in Ulaanbaatar. Residential coal combustion in ger districts has long been the main source of severe winter air pollution in the city. In response, the Government of Mongolia (GoM) prohibited the use of untreated raw coal in urban residential heating and introduced refined coal briquettes as a substitute fuel. Using data on annual household energy consumption from the Mongolian National Statistics Committee between 2015 and 2024, this study constructs carbon dioxide (CO$_2$) emissions from domestic coal consumption and evaluates changes in emissions patterns using an interrupted time-series framework. Station-level pollution data are also incorporated to examine trends in particulate matter concentrations. The results indicate that the period following the ban on raw coal is associated with lower household coal-combustion emissions and noticeable improvements in urban air quality, particularly for particulate pollution.

Advisor

Nevatia, Vedanshi

Department

Economics

Disciplines

Economic Policy | Economics | Energy Policy | Environmental Policy | Environmental Studies | Health Economics | Political Science | Public Economics

Keywords

raw coal ban, Mongolia, household emissions, pollutant levels

Publication Date

2026

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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