Sand Storms Increasing

 Iraq, Iran, Syria and other Gulf states are no strangers to sand and dust storms (SDSs) which have historically occurred in the hot months from May to July when strong northwesterly winds carry large amounts of dust throughout parts of the region.

But these days the storms are coming earlier and more frequently, rising well above the once-normal once or twice a year, starting as early as March and spreading over a wider area. Travelling thousands of kilometres, each sand and dust storm can wreak havoc through a dozen countries. They damage buildings, powerlines and other vital infrastructure, kill crops, reduce visibility for drivers and interrupt air, rail and water transportation,

What's driving the threat is a combination of climate change and poor water management practices that together are turning more of the region's soil into sand.  Rising temperatures and changing weather patterns suggest there's worse to come, unless governments can work together to cut climate-changing emissions and reduce the health and financial impacts of the waves of sand sweeping through the region. Since the 1990s, the Middle East has been heating up twice as fast as the global average.

Climate experts say unsustainable agricultural practices such as overgrazing, excessive use of chemicals and machinery and excessive irrigation - often encouraged by heavily subsidised water tariffs - are helping drive desertification in the region.

"The increase in droughts is a particular concern," said Kaveh Zahedi, deputy executive secretary for sustainable development at the United Nations' Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

Kaveh Madani, a research scientist focused on environmental justice, security and diplomacy at City College of New York, said the dangers posed by sand and dust storms have been overlooked by local and international governments for too long.

"This transboundary and transgenerational issue ... is only becoming more dangerous every year," said Madani, who previously served as deputy head of Iran's environment department. "It's really disappointing to see that one of the most debilitating environmental problems of the 21st century is not being properly recognised by major intergovernmental and scientific agencies," he said.

Also to blame, said Madani, are the strings of dams being built on some of the region's major rivers, which can block water flowing to wetlands. Conflicts also can force farmers to flee, leaving their land to become barren and dry. "Add to this mix the problem of deforestation, land use changes, abandoned farmlands ... and you have the recipe for more frequent and intense dust storms," he said.

Environmental experts said existing measures are not enough to prepare the region for the extreme dust storms that worsening climate change could bring. 

"Unless immediate and serious action is taken in the Middle East to address the matter of dust storms, outcomes like forced migration of people can turn storms into a global problem rather than a regional one," Madani said.

Erik Solheim, who was executive director of the UN's Environment Programme between 2016 and 2018, explained, "Many other environmental issues are higher on the agenda, but sand and dust storms have hardly been talked about in climate talks," Solheim said. "The problem has been seen as a secondary issue, even though it is one of the most harmful environmental issues for human beings."

Rising heat drives crippling sandstorms across the Middle East (trust.org)