Sand and dust storms

One of the most intimidating sights in nature are rolling dark clouds of sand and dust that engulf everything in their path, a phenomenon that turns day into night and wreaks havoc everywhere from Northern China to sub-Saharan Africa. ​

​Sand and dust storms are unfortunately becoming increasingly common in many parts of the world. Studies show that sand and dust storms negatively impact:​

• agriculture​
• human health​
• industry​
• transport​
• water and air quality​

At least 25 per cent of global dust emissions originate from human activities, and in some areas, desert dust has doubled in the 20th century. ​The impact of this phenomenon is difficult to control, as human activity in one part of the world can cause sand and dust storms in another region. However, just as sand and dust storm is caused by human activities these storms can also be reduced through human actions. ​

According to the World Health Organization, exposure to airborne particulate matter—including that carried by sand and dust storms—contributes to roughly 7 million premature deaths every year. The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that such storms can cut crop yields by up to 25 per cent in hard-hit regions, while the World Bank calculates that global welfare losses from dust rose from US$ 2.2 trillion in 1990 to about US$ 3.6 trillion in 2013.

The UN General Assembly has called a High-level meeting on “Sand and Dust Storms: Working Across Agendas for Resilience and Sustainability”, held in conjunction with the annual International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms (12 July). Growing urgency is further reflected in resolution 78/314, which proclaims 2025-2034 the United Nations Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms.

UNCCD is at the centre of these actions. We help governments to create policies to promote the scaling-up of sustainable land management practices and to find and use the latest science to develop and implement effective mitigation policies.​ We assist UNCCD parties affected by SDS by helping them adopt sustainable land management techniques.​

For example, working with the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia,  we assist  countries vulnerable to drought and sand and dust storms in Central Asia to develop and implement risk reduction strategies  at national and regional level. ​We encourage countries to adopt a comprehensive risk reduction strategy with monitoring and early warning systems to improve preparedness and resilience to these environmental disasters.​ Strengthening early-warning systems—and ensuring that adequate technical and financial resources reach the most-affected regions—remains a priority highlighted by the General Assembly.

UNCCD is working in a Coalition of 20 Members (CBD, ESCAP, ESCWA, FAO, ICAO, ITU, IUCN, UNCCD, UNDESA, UNDP, UNDRR, UNECE, UNEP, UNFCCC, UN-Habitat, UNITAR, WHO, WMO, World Bank) to provide and build the knowledge pool and expertise countries need to work together to solve these challenges.  Visit the Coalition web page here.