International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms 2023 - July 12
July 13 , 2023 504 days 493 0
The United Nations earlier this year designated July 12 as the first International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms.
The move was designed to raise awareness about the threats posed by these squalls and to spur on the international effort to counter them.
These tempests occur when strong winds meet bare or dry soil, lifting large amounts of sand and dust into the atmosphere.
The main sources of these mineral dusts are dry regions in Northern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia and China.
Human activities, like deforestation, over grazing and the overuse of water, are causing deserts to spread and increasing the likelihood of sand and dust storms.
In northern China alone they caused economic losses of nearly $1 billion in just three years.