Samija Bayaraa

As the wind howled across the desolate Mongolian landscape, I, a 68-year-old reindeer herder, found myself grappling with the harsh realities of our changing climate. The last few years had been relentless, testing my resilience more than ever before.

Each day brought fresh challenges as the once reliable lakes and rivers dwindled under the scorching summer sun. My reindeer, my livelihood, struggled to find enough water to sustain them, their parched throats a constant reminder of the shifting climate's toll.

But amidst the turmoil, a glimmer of hope emerged, an unexpected silver lining in the storm clouds of climate change. The earth, unveiling its secrets as temperatures rose, revealed ancient treasures buried beneath our feet. Just recently, we stumbled upon the fossilized remains of a velociraptor, a relic from a bygone era. It was a discovery that captured the world's attention and provided a lifeline for us in our time of need.

The sale of the velociraptor fossil injected much-needed funds into our struggling community, allowing us to weather the storm a little while longer. As I stood amidst the windswept plains, I couldn't help but marvel at the irony of it all—the very forces reshaping our world also offering a glimmer of salvation in the form of ancient bones.

In the face of adversity, we reindeer herders learned to adapt, to find strength in the land beneath our feet and the creatures that roamed it. And though the challenges ahead loomed large, I knew that as long as the spirit of resilience burned within us, we would persevere, navigating the ever-changing landscape with grit and determination.