Climate change is already happening sand and dust storms It becomes increasingly intense and permanent. This is such a problem increasing “significantly” In some parts of the world, as warned by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (CLD), held in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) this Wednesday. The dust these events inject into the atmosphere each year is equivalent to 350 Giza pyramids.
“The sight of clouds of black sand and dust that envelop everything in their path and turn day into night.” It is one of the scariest displays in nature”Ibrahim Thiaw, secretary-general of the UNCCD, said at the meeting.
“This is a costly phenomenon that is wreaking havoc everywhere from northern and central Asia to sub-Saharan Africa,” he added.
According to Thiaw, sand and dust storms They represent a serious obstacle to achieving sustainable development and also pose a threat to human health.
In the statements quoted by Efe, he said, “However, just as sand and dust storms are exacerbated by human activities, they can also be reduced by human activities.”
At least according to UN experts25% of this natural phenomenon is attributed to human activities.
Fluctuations in intensity, magnitude, or duration “can make dust and sand storms unpredictable and dangerous.”
350 pyramids of dust
According to the United Nations, it enters the atmosphere every year due to these events causing effects far beyond their regions of origin. 2 billion tons of sand and dust, equivalent to the weight of 350 Giza pyramids.
Additionally, according to available data, desert dust in some regions has doubled in the last century.
“Sand and dust storms has become increasingly frequent and severe“It has significant cross-border impacts, affecting various aspects of the environment, climate, health, agriculture, livelihoods and socioeconomic well-being of people,” said Feras Ziadat, technical officer of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Ziat, Chairman of the United Nations Sand and Dust Storm Coalition, warned about storms “They damage crops, affect animals and destroy the topsoil.” in their region of origin.
Meanwhile, Efe adds, “atmospheric dust in accumulation areas can cause or worsen human health problems such as respiratory diseases, especially when combined with local industrial pollution.”
“Communications, power generation, transportation and supply chains can also be affected by mechanical failure due to low visibility and dust,” he added.
The UNCCD meeting, which will continue until next Friday, includes a day organized this Wednesday by the Government of Uzbekistan on the effects of sand and dust storms on agriculture, industry and transport around the world.
Favored by poor water and soil management
The results of this agreement are known a few weeks after the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that sand and dust storms are increasing due to desertification and climate change. increased in 2022 compared to 2021 and increased atmospheric concentrations of these particles in regions such as Spain or South and Central America.
These concentrations also increased in the Red Sea, the Arabian Peninsula, the Iranian Plateau, the Bay of Bengal, the Indian subcontinent, the Tarim Basin in northwestern China, or the mid-Atlantic separating the Caribbean from West Africa, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s annual report. Report on particles in the atmosphere.
“Approximately 2 billion tons of dust enter the atmosphere every year. Darkening skies and poor air quality in areas thousands of kilometers away“, warns WMO, reminding that this has effects on economies, ecosystems and climate. Haze also negatively affects people’s health when it is a recurring event.
Although some of this process is natural, Mismanagement of water and land by humans alsoAccording to the UN environment agency, which predicts an increase in concentrations of these particles throughout this century in line with global warming.
Excessive consumption of water resources causes desertification of areas becomes increasingly larger, resulting in increased areas of suspended dust.
The report specifically mentions places affected by high concentrations of sand and dust, such as the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, parts of Iran, the Mesopotamian plains of Iraq, eastern Syria and the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Gulf. .
Equally sensitive areas, as these particles are transit routes, are, among others, the Mediterranean basin. South America or East Asia (including Japan and the Korean Peninsula) and the Caribbean, which will receive sand and dust from West Africa in 2022.
WMO draws on data from four networks measuring atmospheric particles in Barcelona (Spain), Beijing, Bridgetown (capital of the Caribbean archipelago of Barbados) and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
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