There is growing alarm over the increasing frequency and intensity of sand and dust storms and their negative repercussions on the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development in arid and semi-arid regions.

This is a global phenomenon, stretching from the Sahara Desert and the Middle East to the Great Indian Desert and the mid-latitude deserts of Central Asia, China and Mongolia. Dryland areas cover over 40 per cent of the Earth’s land surface and include some of the most fragile ecosystems, highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change. A sizable portion of the impacted area lies in the Asia-Pacific region.

This report-Sand and Dust Storms in Asia and the Pacific: Opportunities for Regional Cooperation and Action-offers perspectives to enhance the science-based understanding of the phenomenon among policymakers. It supports the development of adaptation and mitigation policies at the regional and national levels.

The Report presents an in-depth diagnosis of sand and dust storm events using earth-observation satellite images. It analyses potential drivers, points to the risk in problem areas and identifies gaps in information, cooperation and policy capacity.

The report highlights the vulnerability countries share across wide expanses of the Asia- Pacific due to the nature of these storms. They can blow for thousands of kilometres across national borders. The geospatial nature of the storms necessitates information sharing and dialogue to arrive at risk-informed and climate sensitive policy interventions. Considering the borderless nature of these disasters, multi-country coordinated policy actions are imperative.

Such policies are already making positive impacts in some countries. In China, an ecological restoration programme from 2001 to 2013 reduced the risk of sand and dust storms by up to 15 per cent in the North China Plain. In Mongolia, customized drought monitoring tools developed through cooperation under ESCAP’s drought monitoring mechanism have increased timely risk-mitigating actions.The report underlines the need to address sand and dust storms through a multi-hazard risk assessment and alert system for slow-onset disasters.