GNV News 2025 July 15

The United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its annual report on sand and dust storms (Note 1) on July 12, the “International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms.” According to the report, although the overall amount of dust in 2024 was slightly lower than in 2023, the health and economic impacts of sand and dust storms on people are increasing. As much as 2 billion tons of dust are emitted into the atmosphere each year, crossing borders and impacting more than 150 countries and 330 million people worldwide.

Examples of adverse health effects include the worsening of cardiovascular disease as fine particles carried by sand and dust storms enter the body, resulting in the premature deaths of as many as 7 million people each year. As a concrete example, in April 2025, a sandstorm that battered Iraq for 2 days sent more than 3,000 people in the southern region alone to hospitals with respiratory symptoms. Other economic impacts include poor harvests and increased transportation costs for people and goods due to road and air closures caused by low visibility.

Although more than 80% of such dust originates in the Middle East and North Africa, it spreads through the atmosphere and affects people globally. To address the long-overlooked problem of sand and dust storms that affect people worldwide, the United Nations declared in July 2024 the “United Nations Decade for Combating Sand and Dust Storms.” The target period runs from 2025 to 2034, with the aim of raising awareness of the various problems caused by sand and dust storms. At least 25% of dust emissions are said to originate from human activities related to land and water use. To prevent drylands from becoming deserts and triggering sand and dust storms, measures such as the protection and restoration of water sources and soils, and afforestation, are needed.

Note 1: A meteorological phenomenon in which dust and sand are violently lofted by strong winds; “sandstorm” has almost the same meaning. In the WMO report, the term “sand and dust storm” is used; accordingly, this article uses the term “sand and dust storm.”

Learn more about air pollution → “Air pollution: the world’s leading cause of death?”

Learn more about Mongolia → ““The world’s worst” air pollution: Mongolia”

A sand and dust storm hitting Kuwait (Photo: Kuwait-Ra’ed Qutena / Flickr [CC BY-NC-SA 2.0])