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The precise causes of sand and dust storms (SDSs) are not fully known. Cloaked in mystery, SDSs are often perceived across the Gulf region as largely ungovernable natural phenomena. Since damage from SDSs is seen as inevitable, there are few attempts to divert Gulf water inland or build vegetation or walls to protect against winds. Such quietism, however, ignores the fact that anthropogenic dust…

Extraordinary sights of the sky were painted in vivid colours of yellow, orange, pink and red hues covering Europe and the UK this week! What is it? Where did it come from? What does it mean for our current climate? Professor Richard Washington teaches Climate Science at the University of Oxford and is Head of Extreme E’s Scientific Committee explains. Extreme E: Why are we seeing…

Iraq was yet again covered in a thick sheet of orange on Sunday as it suffered the latest in a series of dust storms that have become increasingly common. Dozens were hospitalised with respiratory problems in the centre and the west of the country. A thick layer of orange dust settled across streets and vehicles, seeping into people’s homes in the capital Baghdad.lights…

Desert dust hailing from North Africa has been making its way through Turkey since early April. Moving from west to east, its next target is eastern Turkey. Either in the form of dust storms or fine particles carried in the breeze, the dust will dominate the weather in the region on Tuesday, after making its foray into the country's east on Monday. Authorities urged the public to…

One of the world’s most ambitious plans to restore degraded land needs a more meaningful way to measure its achievements. It’s now 15 years since the African Union gave its blessing to Africa’s Great Green Wall, one of the world’s most ambitious ecological-restoration schemes. The project is intended to combat desertification across the width of Africa, and spans some 8,000 kilometres, from…

The second Global Land Outlook report (GLO2), released on 26 April 2022 by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) ahead of its 15th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Abidjan, outlines both ‘stark warnings and practical remedies’ for chronic land degradation. With inputs from more than 20 partner organizations and more than a thousand of the latest…