According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the amount of dust suspended in the atmosphere decreased slightly in 2023 compared to the previous year. But in North Africa or the Arabian Peninsula, it remains above the long-term average, representing a public health problem, with an economic and social impact.
To combat the dangers that sandstorms pose to public health, the United Nations has declared 2025-2034 the Sandstorm Decade.
This initiative was formulated by Uganda on behalf of the Group of 77, of which African countries are members: fighting against sandstorms is necessarily a long-term task, warns Hervé Herbin, teacher-researcher at the University of Lille.
This involves “revegetation” in order to “keep a maximum level of humidity on the surface: if you add relief or plants, trees in particular, you will obviously reduce the impact of these winds on the surface. »
The strength of sand and dust storms lies in “the length of the trajectory traveled on the surface by the winds which will increase the concentration of particles”, analyzes the academic. A real challenge due to “global warming which will increase surface temperatures and therefore increase the rate of evaporation,” he adds.
To mitigate the effects of these sandstorms, the UN resolution also calls for the strengthening of monitoring networks, which “generally combine measurements taken from the ground and from satellites,” specifies Hervé Herbin.
Funding for the implementation of this resolution will only be done on the basis of voluntary contributions. However, it is “not all bad news” according to the World Meteorological Organization, which indicates that the transport of sand over the oceans has some positive aspects, such as providing nutrients to the seabed.
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