GENEVA (AN) — Sand and dust storms, once primarily regional phenomena, are rapidly emerging as a multifaceted global crisis, imperiling the health of hundreds of millions and imposing a ballooning economic burden on nations across the planet, according to new assessments from the United Nations.
The World Meteorological Organization revealed that these airborne hazards now affect an estimated 330 million people in over 150 countries. Each year, approximately 2 billion tons of sand and dust are injected into the atmosphere — a mass equivalent to 300 Great Pyramids of Giza, Laura Paterson, WMO’s U.N. representative, told the General Assembly.
On Saturday, the 193-nation assembly marked the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms. It also has announced a U.N. Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms from this year through 2034.
While naturally occurring, the frequency and intensity of these storms are being exacerbated by a combination of climate change, widespread land degradation, and unsustainable land management practices, U.N. officials warn.
Shifting patterns and global hotspots
More than 80% of the world’s atmospheric dust originates from the vast desert systems of North Africa and the Middle East. However, the particles’ capacity to travel thousands of kilometers across continents and oceans means their impact is felt far beyond their source regions, reaching as distant as the Caribbean and Florida from the Sahara.
The WMO’s annual Airborne Dust Bulletin, published this month, notes that while the global average of annual mean dust surface concentrations in 2024 was marginally lower than in 2023, significant regional variations persisted. Some of the most affected areas experienced concentrations exceeding their 1981-2010 long-term averages.
In 2024, the Bodélé Depression in Chad recorded the estimated peak annual mean surface dust concentration, ranging from 800 to 1,100 micrograms per cubic meter. High concentrations were also observed in parts of central Australia and along the west coast of South Africa.
Regions particularly vulnerable to long-range dust transport include the northern tropical Atlantic, South America, the Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and central-eastern China.
Major events in 2024 included intense Harmattan wind-driven storms in the Canary Islands in December, 14 significant storms in East Asia (including a rare June event affecting Beijing), and an exceptional winter dust storm in West Asia that disrupted Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and the Arabian Peninsula.
Devastating health and economic consequences
The human toll of sand and dust storms is increasingly stark. A new indicator, developed by WMO and the World Health Organization, shows almost half the global population, or 3.8 billion people, were exposed to dust levels exceeding WHO safety thresholds between 2018 and 2022.
This represents a 31% increase compared to the 2003-2007 period, with some regions enduring over 1,600 days of hazardous exposure in just five years.
Assembly President Philemon Yang underscored that airborne particles from these storms contribute to an estimated 7 million premature deaths annually, primarily from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. They also severely reduce crop yields by up to 25%, exacerbating food insecurity and contributing to forced migration.
Yang described the storms as "one of the most overlooked yet far-reaching global challenges of our time."
Economically, the costs are "staggering," according to Rola Dashti, a U.N. undersecretary-general who heads the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. In the Middle East and North Africa, the annual cost of addressing these storms is an estimated $150 billion, roughly 2.5% of the region's gross domestic product.
The true global cost is likely far higher, as reliable evaluations for impacts on human morbidity, hydrological cycles, aviation, and rangeland agriculture remain elusive.
In the United States alone, dust and wind erosion caused an estimated $154 billion in costs in 2017, a more than fourfold increase since 1995. These expenses encompass disruptions to air and ground transport, damage to agriculture and solar energy production, and household expenditures.
The exceptional winter dust storm that swept through West Asia in Dec. 2024 led to widespread flight cancellations, school closures, and the postponement of public events.
A coordinated global response
Recognizing the escalating threat, the Assembly's recent designation of a U.N. day and decade to combat sand and dust storms is intended to support broader efforts such as those by WMO, which is at the forefront of strengthening monitoring, forecasting, and early warning systems.
The U.N. weather agency says there is an urgent need for concerted international action to mitigate the escalating humanitarian and financial repercussions of sand and dust storms.
WMO's Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System, established in 2007, coordinates international research and operates regional centers in Jeddah, Barcelona, Beijing, and Bridgetown. These efforts are a priority under an "Early Warnings for All" initiative.
Dashti, who co-chairs the U.N. Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, noted that over 20 U.N. and international agencies are working to harmonize efforts on early warning systems, health interventions, and financing mechanisms. She urged all countries to prioritize sand and dust storms in their national and global agendas.
The U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification is the sole legally binding international agreement directly linking environment and development to sustainable land management. Adopted at Paris in 1994, and entering into force in Dec. 1996, it emerged from a recommendation at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
"From land restoration and sustainable agriculture to integrated early warning systems, we have the tools to act," Dashti said. "What we need now is collective determination and financing to bring these solutions to scale."
