Anal Amaljalgar grew up in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The city once ranked the most polluted capitals in the world. Early on, she wanted to be part of the solution to the complex environmental problems her community faces.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in Japan’s environment and development, Amaljalgar is currently chasing her Climate and society At Columbia Climate School. In the Q&A below, she shares her global journey through sustainable investment, food systems and disaster recovery, and how she has come to embrace her diverse but interconnected benefits within the climate space.
What inspired you to take you to MA with your Climate and Social Program?
After being an undergraduate, I wanted to develop a better understanding of environmental science and find my niche. When we discovered the Columbia Climate School, it quickly stood out. It stood out not only in climate change, but also in how it affected society. Coming from Uraanbaatar, where climate challenges are part of everyday life, I felt a strong urge to be a bridge between individual behavior and systematic top-down change.
From Mongolia to Japan and now New York City, it was an incredible journey. And I’m extremely excited to continue learning and growing.
What are the most important lessons you’ve learned from your previous educational journey??
I graduated from high school at the age of 16. At that age, you really don’t know what you want to do in your life, so you have your parents choose my major. They chose accounting, as they said it was the most stable career.
A month after class, I decided that it wasn’t the path for me and decided to explore various jobs to take a gap year. Looking back now, I realize that things have gone round, especially on the courses I take in sustainable investment and finance. Many great climate ideas are not real without funding. So we want to learn how to fund these gaps in a sustainable way.
I’ve also been passionate about the food system. There is a great emphasis on important energy transitions, but I think there is a need to equally focus on important food conversions. I’m currently doing research on exactly this. Colombia Sustainable Investment Centrelearn about livestock industry and where capital flows.
I’m in New York and there are so many great people in the climate field. Taking these important and practical classes here in Columbia and with the incredible professors in guest lecturers, my view on the phenomenon of climate change is expanding in every respect.
Can you talk about the work you’re doing in Türkiye? Sustainable urban development centre?
Go back better In Project Hatai, Turkey focuses on resilience and built environment. The city was devastated by a massive earthquake, but now the challenges are: Are cities restructuring to be more resilient to climate risks like floods and heat waves, not just earthquakes?
I am currently working on data analysis and research related to flooding and sustainable adaptation strategies.
What is the goal of this project?
We are collaborating with the Colombia Global Centre in Istanbul. Our goal is to equip local governments and communities with the tools and data they need. One of the key perceptions for me is that systematic, top-down change is important, but community members must be at the heart of these efforts.
Many earthquake survivors still live in temporary container homes that are not built to withstand heat waves, floods and future earthquakes. The government plans to rebuild the city in five to ten years. This is a long time to wait under vulnerable conditions. Long-term strategies are important, but they need to protect people for the time being. Therefore, balancing short-term and long-term solutions is one of the biggest challenges that requires system-level thinking and co-management with multiple stakeholders.
Currently, the government is not fully involved in the community or listening to their needs. They need data, communication and collaboration with multiple stakeholders from people who have been directly influenced by policymakers. One of the central questions we are exploring is: How can social resilience be reconstructed in such fragmented conditions?
Imagine losing not only your home, but your entire community and city. It’s trauma. We hope that our work will contribute to our efforts to a practical, practical, community-based restructuring.
“I know that we can’t solve only climate change, but I can help promote change in my community.”
How will this initiative and time for the program guide future goals?
Being in Colombia exposes me to people all over the world and how do you experience climate change? I have my own story and perspective, but I have learned that the real solution comes from collective effort. I am grateful to be part of the school, a leader in this field.
I would like to take this knowledge home and apply it to similar efforts in Mongolia. I know that climate change alone can’t be solved, but I can help promote change in my community.
Did you have a mentor who helped guide you?
absolutely! I was lucky enough to work with so many amazing people – my academic advisor Lisa Dale and Malgosia MadajewiczI’ve been working on the Rockaway Flood Vulnerability Index. in CCSII’m researching the food system Lala FornabioI’m extremely passionate about this topic. She was introduced to me Lisa Saxanother great professor I deeply admire.
Andrew Kruczkiewicz It’s also the best. He helped me not only with technical work but also with the way I navigate the climate field. Early in the semester, I felt pressured to be the best in one thing. He thought I could be someone who connects multiple benefits across sustainability. That advice really stayed with me.
What are your plans for the summer afterwards? Class day?
This summer I will work as a fellow of over 100 accelerator programs and work with venture capitalists and sustainability-focused startups to help you realize impactful projects. I will also intern to fight the United Nations Congress and desertification. It focuses on attracting private investment and driving blended finance solutions to expand climate resilience.
What do you want to do in the future?
I have a lot of ideas. I previously interned in Mongolia on a project supporting the GER community. We rely heavily on coal and promote the problem of pollution. However, Mongolia has an incredibly undeveloped possibility of solar and wind energy. I want to help the community move from coal to renewable energy.
One of my biggest goals is to establish a Climate Research Centre in Ulaanbaatar. Every year, extreme blizzards known as “dzud” kill millions of livestock and catastrophic rural life. Not to mention the pressing challenges of water shortages and desertification. We need a centre that can research and implement climate resilience projects.
I felt like I wasn’t ready to join the staff, but now I’m excited to take the next step. I am proud to represent Mongolia at Columbia University. I am deeply grateful for all the people I have met here, pastors, mentors and my incredible cohort. I am forever grateful to learn alongside some of my most passionate and dedicated classmates in this challenging and important field.
