Thread by @AP_Climate

Konchok Dorjey used to graze goats in the arid in the Kharnak village in India, on a high, mountainous cold desert that borders China and Pakistan. #climatemigration

apnews.com/article/china-…

But a decade ago, the 45-year-old nomad gave up his pastoral life in search of a better future for his family. He sold off his animals and migrated to an urban settlement in the outskirts of a regional town called Leh. apne.ws/FSN9Xnk

"It was a tough decision," Dorjey said recently, sitting on the veranda at his home.

"But I did not have much choice." #climatemigration apne.ws/FSN9Xnk

Frequent loss of livestock due to diseases, lack of health care, border conflict and shrinking grazing land — worsened by extreme climatic changes — has forced hundreds to migrate from sparsely populated villages to mainly urban clusters. apne.ws/FSN9Xnk

In 2011, Dorjey locked his stone house and left Kharnak for good. He painstakingly built his new life in Kharnakling and now drives a taxi for a living.

"Ultimately, it boils down to safeguarding your family," apne.ws/FSN9Xnk

A quiet flight of nearly 100 nomadic families from the village has dwindled its population to just 17 families.

While food security, health care and education are at the heart of their migration, the worsening climatic conditions exacerbated their flight. apne.ws/FSN9Xnk

This story is part of an ongoing series exploring the lives of people around the world who have been forced to move because of rising seas, drought, searing temperatures and other things caused or exacerbated by climate change.

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