Sand and dust storms are affecting more than 330 million people across over 150 countries, The Associated Press reported on Saturday, citing estimates from the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). According to the report, these storms are becoming a growing threat to global health, economies and ecosystems.
A Global Crisis in the Air
Annual dust emmissions — approximately two billion tons — are equivalent to 300 Great Pyramids of Giza, Laura Paterson, WMO’s representative to the UN, reportedly said during a briefing to the General Assembly.
Over 80 percent of this dust, the report said, originates from deserts in North Africa and the Middle East. But its reach is much broader, with dust travelling across continents and oceans, sometimes reaching places as far as the Caribbean and Florida.
A Decade to Combat the Storms
The UN General Assembly recently marked the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms and has designated 2025–2034 as the “UN Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms.”
Assembly President Philemon Yang called these storms “one of the most overlooked yet far-reaching global challenges of our time,” as reported by the AP.
His speech, delivered by a vice president, emphasised that the storms are intensified by climate change, land degradation and unsustainable practices.
Health and Economic Toll
Highlighting the deadly impact of airborne particles, Yang reportedly said they contribute to seven million premature deaths each year by causing respiratory and heart diseases, and “reduce crop yields by up to 25%”, leading to widespread hunger and migration.
Rola Dashti, head of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, described the financial burden as “staggering.” In the Middle East and North Africa alone, dust storms cost around $150 billion annually, which is about 2.5% of the region’s GDP, the report said.
The Arab world witnessed acute disruption in this spring alone, Dashti said, in reference to reports of overwhelmed hospitals in Iraq and school closures across Kuwait and Iran.
Dashti, who also co-chairs the UN Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, told the US-based news agency that more than 20 international agencies are working together on early warning systems and other interventions.
“From land restoration and sustainable agriculture to integrated early warning systems, we have the tools to act,” the AP quoted her as saying as she stressed on the need for “collective determination and financing to bring these solutions to scale.”
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