Sand And Dust Storms Are Increasing, Human Activities Contribute 25% Emissions: UNCCD

Relevance: Sand, Dust Storm, Environmental Science and Ecology, drylands and arid regions, International organizations, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, UNCCD, Earth Summit, Sustainable Development

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Why in the news?

• The article focuses on the increasing prevalence of sand and dust storms and their significant contribution from human activities.
• The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) reports that 25% of global dust emissions are due to human activities, primarily agriculture.

Contextual Background

• According to the UNCCD, human activities contribute to 25% of global dust emissions.
• The main anthropogenic source is agriculture, which includes practices like land-use change, deforestation, and water diversion for irrigation.
• These storms are not just natural phenomena; they have profound impacts on human health, the environment, and economies.
• They can travel thousands of kilometers and affect areas far from their source.
• The storms are known for reducing visibility, damaging crops, and causing respiratory and other health issues.
• The storms are a challenge to achieving many of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• They affect agricultural productivity, ecosystem health, and water availability, among other things.

What is UNCCD?

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is a major international agreement aimed at addressing the issue of desertification and mitigating the effects of drought, particularly in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas.

• Origins and Background: The UNCCD was established in 1994, following the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It is the only legally binding international agreement linking environment and development issues to sustainable land management.
• Purpose and Goals: The main objective of the UNCCD is to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through national action and international cooperation.
• Global Reach and Implementation: The UNCCD is a global convention with a particular focus on Africa. It currently has 197 country parties.
• Partnerships and Collaborative Efforts: It collaborates with the other two Rio Conventions — the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) — to address the interconnected issues of land degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss.

What are Sand and Dust Storms?

• Sand and dust storms are meteorological phenomena characterized by strong winds lifting large amounts of sand and dust particles from the ground into the atmosphere.
• They occur primarily in arid and semi-arid regions but can affect areas far from their origins due to the long-distance transport of particles.
• They often originate in dry, barren landscapes where loose sand and dust can be easily picked up. Examples include deserts, dry lake beds, and barren lands.
• The process begins with strong winds that are capable of dislodging sand and dust particles from the ground. Once airborne, these particles can be carried over vast distances.
• While they are natural phenomena, human activities such as deforestation, land degradation, and unsustainable water management can increase their frequency and intensity.

Sources/Factors Influencing Sand and Dust Storms

Natural Sources

• Drylands: About 75% of dust emissions come from the world's drylands, which are naturally prone to these storms.
• Hyper-Arid Regions: These areas, with very little rainfall, are significant sources of dust.
• Topographic Depressions in Arid Areas: Such landscapes can accumulate dust and sand, which can then be lifted by strong winds.
• Dry Ancient Lake Beds: With minimal vegetation, these areas easily give rise to dust particles.

Human-Induced Factors

• Agriculture: It's the main anthropogenic source, contributing to about 25% of global dust emissions. Practices like land-use change and water diversion for agriculture significantly contribute.
• Abandoned Cropland: These lands can become sources of dust storms.
• Water Consumption in Agriculture: This leads to shrinking water bodies, creating new sources of sand and dust storms. The Aral Sea's transformation into the Aralkum Desert is a notable example.

Other Influencing Factors

• Climate Change: It exacerbates conditions with extreme wind events, increased aridity, and severe droughts.
• High Air Temperature and Minimal Precipitation: These climatic conditions are conducive to dust storm formation.
• Strong Winds: Essential for lifting and carrying sand and dust particles over large distances.

Impact/ Challenges Related to Sand and Dust Storms

• Human Health Impact: They can have adverse impacts on human health. For instance, a storm in Mongolia in March 2021 affected 8,000 people, resulted in 10 fatalities, and led to 1.6 million livestock going missing.
• Environmental Degradation: These storms can cause significant environmental damage. They lift small particles to great heights and transport them over vast distances, affecting air quality and depositing dust in new areas.
• Agricultural Damage: They lower the yields and productivity of crops, trees, pastures, and livestock. They can cover crops with dust, reducing their ability to photosynthesize and damage the health of livestock.
• Economic Costs: The storms have economic impacts, such as loss of crops and livestock, as well as the cost of mitigation and adaptation measures.
• Contribution to Climate Change: The storms can contribute to climate change by altering local climates and potentially impacting global weather patterns.
• Lack of Policy and Awareness: There is currently no comprehensive policy to address the risks posed by sand and dust storms. This gap hinders the development of effective strategies for prevention, mitigation, and adaptation.
• Need for Early Warning Systems: The establishment of risk monitoring and early warning systems is crucial for timely alerts and responses to impending storms.
• Challenges in Risk Governance and Investment: There's a need to strengthen risk governance and increase investment in sand and dust storm risk reduction and impact mitigation measures, particularly in agriculture.
• Global and Local Sources: About 75% of SDS emissions come from natural sources like drylands, while human activities like agriculture, land-use change, and deforestation contribute to the remaining 25%.
• Impact on Sustainable Development Goals: Sand and dust storms present a challenge to achieving 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, indicating their broad and deep impact on sustainable development.
• Exacerbation by Climate Change: Climate change plays a role in worsening sand and dust storms through factors like extreme wind events, increased aridity, and more frequent and severe droughts.
• Quantification Challenges: Many impacts of sand and dust storms have not been well-quantified, which makes it difficult to fully understand their scope and develop targeted responses.

Recommendations of UNCCD

• Establishment of Risk Monitoring and Early Warning Systems: UNCCD emphasizes the importance of setting up systems that can monitor risks associated with sand and dust storms.
• Strengthening of Risk Governance: The UNCCD advocates for improved governance concerning the risks posed by sand and dust storms. This would involve better policy-making, regulation, and implementation of strategies to mitigate the impact of these storms.
• Increased Investment and Financing: The UNCCD recommends increasing investment and financing in measures aimed at reducing the risk and mitigating the impact of sand and dust storms, especially in the agricultural sector.
• Developing National Capacity and Raising Awareness: The UNCCD suggests that it is crucial to develop national capabilities to deal with sand and dust storms. This includes educating and training individuals and communities on how to effectively manage and mitigate the impacts of these storms.
• Addressing Anthropogenic Factors: The recommendations also highlight the need to tackle human-induced factors contributing to sand and dust storms, such as land-use change, agricultural practices, water diversion, and deforestation.
• Quantifying Impacts on Agriculture and Livelihoods: The UNCCD notes the importance of better quantifying the impacts of sand and dust storms on crop yields, productivity, and livelihoods, in order to design more effective mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Way Forward

• Mitigation and Adaptation: Implementing policies and strategies focused on mitigating the effects of sand and dust storms, and adapting to their occurrence. This includes developing agricultural practices that minimize dust emissions and managing land use to prevent desertification.
• Monitoring and Early Warning Systems: This would enable the timely issuance of alerts and early warnings to affected regions, helping to mitigate the impact on human health and agriculture.
• Risk Governance and Policy Development: This involves creating specific policies and guidelines to manage and reduce the risks associated with these natural phenomena.
• Investment and Financing: This could involve funding for research into new agricultural techniques, reforestation projects, and the restoration of natural landscapes to prevent erosion and dust emissions.
• National Capacity Building and Awareness Raising: This includes training and education initiatives to raise awareness about the causes, impacts, and ways to mitigate these storms.
• Addressing Climate Change: This includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions and implementing strategies to combat global warming.
• Regional and International Collaboration: Sharing knowledge, resources, and strategies can lead to more effective and coordinated responses.
• Quantifying Impacts: More research is needed to quantify the exact impacts of sand and dust storms on agriculture, economies, and health. This data is crucial for formulating effective responses and securing the necessary funding and political support.

Conclusion

There is a need for immediate and effective measures to mitigate the impacts of sand and dust storms, particularly in the agricultural sector. Emphasis should be on the need for policies and measures to monitor, warn, and mitigate the effects of these storms on agriculture and the environment.

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FAQs

MCQs

Q.1) What is/are the importance/importances of the ‘United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’? (UPSC 2016)

1. It aims to promote effective action through innovative national programs and supportive inter-national partnerships.
2. It has a special/particular focus on South Asia and North Africa regions, and its Secretariat facilitates the allocation of major portion of financial resources to these regions.
3. It is committed to bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating the desertification.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3