Latest news with #LandDegradation
The Independent
11-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Sand and dust storms affect about 330 million people in over 150 countries, UN agency says
Sand and dust storms affect about 330 million people in over 150 countries and are taking an increasing toll on health, economies and the environment, the U.N. World Meteorological Organization says. 'About 2 billion tons of dust are emitted yearly, equivalent to 300 Great Pyramids of Giza' in Egypt, the organization's U.N. representative, Laura Paterson, told the General Assembly. More than 80% of the world's dust comes from the deserts in North Africa and the Middle East, she said, but it has a global impact because the particles can travel hundreds and even thousands of kilometers (miles) across continents and oceans. The General Assembly was marking the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms on Saturday and its designation of 2025 to 2034 as the U.N. decade on combating sand and dust storms. Assembly President Philemon Yang said the storms 'are fast becoming one of the most overlooked yet far-reaching global challenges of our time.' 'They are driven by climate change, land degradation and unsustainable practices,' he said. Yang, in a speech Thursday that was read by an assembly vice president, said airborne particles from sand and dust storms contribute to 7 million premature deaths every year. He said they trigger respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and reduce crop yields by up to 25%, causing hunger and migration. Undersecretary-General Rola Dashti, head of the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, told the assembly the storms' economic costs are "staggering.' In the Middle East and North Africa, the annual cost of dealing with dust and sand storms is $150 billion, roughly 2.5% of 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 and storms in Kuwait and Iran that forced schools and offices to close. Dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa has reached as far as the Caribbean and Florida, she said, Dashti, who also co-chairs the U.N. Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, said over 20 U.N. and international agencies are working to unite efforts on early warning systems for storms and to deal with other issues, including health and financing. She urged all countries to put sand and dust storms into 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.'
Associated Press
11-07-2025
- Climate
- Associated Press
Sand and dust storms affect about 330 million people in over 150 countries, UN agency says
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Sand and dust storms affect about 330 million people in over 150 countries and are taking an increasing toll on health, economies and the environment, the U.N. World Meteorological Organization says. 'About 2 billion tons of dust are emitted yearly, equivalent to 300 Great Pyramids of Giza' in Egypt, the organization's U.N. representative, Laura Paterson, told the General Assembly. More than 80% of the world's dust comes from the deserts in North Africa and the Middle East, she said, but it has a global impact because the particles can travel hundreds and even thousands of kilometers (miles) across continents and oceans. The General Assembly was marking the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms on Saturday and its designation of 2025 to 2034 as the U.N. decade on combating sand and dust storms. Assembly President Philemon Yang said the storms 'are fast becoming one of the most overlooked yet far-reaching global challenges of our time.' 'They are driven by climate change, land degradation and unsustainable practices,' he said. Yang, in a speech Thursday that was read by an assembly vice president, said airborne particles from sand and dust storms contribute to 7 million premature deaths every year. He said they trigger respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and reduce crop yields by up to 25%, causing hunger and migration. Undersecretary-General Rola Dashti, head of the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, told the assembly the storms' economic costs are 'staggering.' In the Middle East and North Africa, the annual cost of dealing with dust and sand storms is $150 billion, roughly 2.5% of 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 and storms in Kuwait and Iran that forced schools and offices to close. Dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa has reached as far as the Caribbean and Florida, she said, Dashti, who also co-chairs the U.N. Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, said over 20 U.N. and international agencies are working to unite efforts on early warning systems for storms and to deal with other issues, including health and financing. She urged all countries to put sand and dust storms into 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.'
IOL News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Deputy minister urges urgent action to combat desertification and land degradation
The Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Bernice Swarts has welcomed the need for members of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to do more in addressing desertification, land degradation, and drought while continuing to build strong partnerships for integrated solutions. Image: Supplied The Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Bernice Swarts, has welcomed the need for members of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to do more in addressing Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD) while continuing to build strong partnerships for integrated solutions. On Tuesday, on the first day of the four-day conference, the deputy minister delivered her keynote address to various member states and dignitaries gathered at the Radisson Blue Hotel in Sandton. "In the next four days, we will deliberate on issues relating to desertification, land degradation, and drought. I am pleased to confirm that many faces here are not new to me, as I had an opportunity to meet many of you during the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties in Saudi Arabia. "As you may recall, the UNCCD COP16 underscored the need to mobilise additional and innovative resources to support Parties in accelerating actions and interventions on the ground to address desertification, land degradation, and drought, and synergies with other environmental issues." Swarts said desertification, land degradation, and drought form part of the priority focus areas for South Africa's Presidency of the G20 Environment, Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG). Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ "For the first time in the history of the G20 Presidency, South Africa has made a bold commitment by including DLDD issues among its G20 priorities. This commitment fosters global solidarity in addressing the drivers of DLDD while promoting the mainstreaming of Sustainable Land Management practices and approaches across key sectors. "The main focus under the G20 ECSWG priority on DLDD is on the implementation of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets and their deliverables," she said. Speaking on the importance of Integrated Land Use Planning (IDN – ILUP) and target setting programme of the UNCCD, Baron Jospeh from the UNCCD Secretariat stressed the need for vertical and horizontal integration strategies. "I embrace the need for vertical and horizontal integration strategies, and the key thing is that once you fully embrace this approach, you are going to be linking various data sets. You are going to be able to better position cross collaborations," he said.
