Context: According to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), sand and dust storms are an underappreciated problem now “dramatically” more frequent in some places worldwide, with at least 25% of the phenomenon attributed to human activities.

About the report

• UNCCD meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, reviews global progress on Convention implementation.

• Sand and dust storms (SDS) discussed as a major environmental challenge.

• As per the report, two billion tons of sand and dust, equal in weight to 350 Great Pyramids of Giza, enter the atmosphere every year.

UNCCD Statistics on Global Dust Emissions

• Global Dust Emissions: It reveals that human activities contribute to 25% of global dust emissions. Agriculture stands out as the primary anthropogenic source, impacting ecosystems worldwide.

• Alarming Land Loss: The world is losing almost 1 million square kilometres (386,000 square miles) of productive land yearly to sand and dust storms.

• Economic Loss: An estimated two billion tons of sand and dust enter the atmosphere every year, wreaking havoc across large parts of Asia and Africa and causing significant economic damage throughout the world.

Key Issues

• SDS exacerbated by poor land and water management, droughts, and climate change.

• Fluctuations in intensity, magnitude, or duration make SDS unpredictable and dangerous.

Concerns highlighted

• SDS has trans-boundary impacts affecting environment, climate, health, agriculture, and livelihoods.

• Source areas experience crop damage, livestock impact, and topsoil erosion.

Policy Recommendations

• UNCCD, FAO, and partners provide guidance through the Sand and Dust Storms Compendium and SDS Toolbox.

• Recommendations cover data collection, monitoring, early warning, impact mitigation, and anthropogenic source mitigation.

About Sand and Dust Storms

• Sand and dust storms are a meteorological phenomenon characterised by strong and turbulent winds lifting an ensemble of small particles to great heights. 

• They are known to adversely impact human health, the environment, and economies.

• These storms pose significant challenges to achieving 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Sources

• Natural: About 75 percent of emissions come from natural sources such as hyper-arid regions, topographic depressions in arid areas and dry ancient lake beds with little vegetative cover.

• Anthropogenic: Anthropogenic factors such as land-use change, agriculture, water diversion, and deforestation contribute to the remaining 25 percent.

Consequences and Challenges

• Sand and dust storms lower the yields and productivity of crops, trees, pastures, and livestock. However, many of these impacts have not yet been well-quantified, according to the FAO report.

• Urgent Need for Policy and Action: The FAO report emphasizes the absence of policies addressing the risks posed by sand and dust storms. 

Key Recommendations

• Improved Land Management: Emphasize enhanced practices for restoring damaged land.

• Early Warning System Enhancement: Strengthen systems for early detection and response to sand and dust storms.

• Financial Support Urgency: Address the significant funding gap, with only $15 billion allocated from 2016-2019.

• Private Sector Incentives: Introduce incentives and public funding to encourage responsible land use by the private sector.

• Global Collaboration Lessons: Learn from success stories like China while recognizing vulnerabilities to neighboring degraded lands.

• Integrated Climate Action: Sustain land restoration efforts as a vital component in mitigating climate change impacts.

About United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

• UNCCD is one of three Conventions that originated at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

• It is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.

• Members: 197 parties, India became a signatory in 1994 and ratified it in 1996.

• UNCCD declared 2006 the “International Year of Deserts and Desertification”.

• In 2013, Canada became the first country to withdraw its membership from UNCCD but later rejoined it in 2016.

• The Holy See (Vatican City) is the only state that is not a party to the convention that is eligible to accede to it.

Objectives

• Aims to improve living conditions in drylands.

• Seeks to maintain and restore land and soil productivity.

• Mitigates the effects of drought.