Sand and dust storms affect about 330 million people across more than 150 countries, increasingly impacting health, economies, and the environment, the U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said. “About 2 billion tons of dust are emitted yearly — equivalent to 300 Great Pyramids of Giza,” said Laura Paterson, the organization’s U.N. representative, at the General Assembly.
More than 80% of the world’s dust originates from deserts in North Africa and the Middle East, she added. However, the impact is global because these particles can travel hundreds, even thousands, of kilometers (miles) across continents and oceans.
(Video: Omri Berkman)
The General Assembly marked the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms on Saturday, as well as designating 2025 to 2034 as the U.N. Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms.
Assembly President Philemon Yang called the storms “one of the most overlooked yet far-reaching global challenges of our time.” He said, “They are driven by climate change, land degradation, and unsustainable practices.”
In a speech read on his behalf Thursday, Yang said airborne particles from sand and dust storms contribute to 7 million premature deaths each year. They cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and reduce crop yields by up to 25%, leading to hunger and migration.
Undersecretary-General Rola Dashti, head of the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, described the storms’ economic toll as “staggering.” In the Middle East and North Africa, the annual cost of managing dust and sand storms reaches $150 billion — about 2.5% of the region’s GDP, she said.
“This spring alone, the Arab region experienced acute disruption,” Dashti said, citing severe storms in Iraq that overwhelmed hospitals with respiratory cases, as well as storms in Kuwait and Iran that forced schools and offices to close.
Dust from the Sahara Desert has even reached as far as the Caribbean and Florida, she noted.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
Dashti, who also co-chairs the U.N. Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, said more than 20 U.N. and international agencies are working together to develop early warning systems and address related issues such as health and financing.
She urged all countries to prioritize sand and dust storms in their global and national agendas. “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.”
First published: 11:31, 07.14.25