Sand and dust storms are increasing, human activities contribute 25% emissions: UNCCD

Sand and dust storms are increasing, human activities contribute 25% emissions: UNCCD

Subject : Environment

Section: International conventions

Context:

• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) released policy recommendations on sand and dust storms during a five-day meeting in Uzbekistan.

Sand and Dust Storms:

• It is a meteorological phenomenon characterised by strong and turbulent winds lifting an ensemble of small particles to great heights. They are known to have adverse impacts on human health, the environment and economies.
• Human activities contribute 25 per cent of global dust emissions, with agriculture being the main anthropogenic source.
• Every year, more than two billion tonnes of sand and dust travel over thousands of kilometres through the Earth’s atmosphere.
• Policy Recommendation of UNCCD: The strengthening of risk governance of sand and dust storms and increased investment and financing in sand and dust storm risk reduction and impact mitigation measures in agriculture along with developing national capacity and raising awareness of sand and dust storms.

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Report on Sand and Dust Storms:

• Report title: Sand and dust storms: A Guide to Mitigation, Adaptation, Policy, and Risk Management Measures in Agriculture.
• Key findings:
  • Sand and dust storms present a formidable challenge to achieving 11 of the 17Sustainable Development Goals.
  • The main sources of sand and dust storms are the world’s drylands. About 75 per cent of emissions come from natural sources such as hyper-arid regions, topographic depressions in arid areas and dry ancient lake beds with little vegetative cover.
  • Anthropogenic factors such as land-use change, agriculture, water diversion and deforestation contribute to the remaining 25 per cent.
• Creation of new sources of sand and dust storms:
  • Water consumption in agriculture shrinks water bodies, creating new sources of sand and dust storms.
  • The excessive diversion of water from rivers in Central Asia over several decades towards agriculture has shrunk the Aral Sea, a pre-existing lake between Kazakhstan to its north and Uzbekistan to its south. It has now become the Aralkum Desert, a significant new source of sand and dust storms.
• Role of Climate Change:
  • Extreme wind events, aridity and frequent, severe and longer droughts worsen the storms.
  • Other factors such as high air temperature, minimal precipitation and strong winds also act as drivers.
• Impact of sand and dust storms:
  • Sand and dust storms lower the yields and productivity of crops, trees, pastures, and livestock. However, many of these impacts have not yet been well-quantified.
• There is no policy to address the risks posed by sand and dust storms.
• FAO Recommendation:
  • Establishment of risk monitoring and early warning systems. This will enable the timely issuing of alerts and early warnings.

About United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

• UNCCD is one of three Conventions that originated at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
• Signed on 14 October 1994 -13 October 1995
• Location (Headquarters)- Bonn, Germany.
• Effective 26 December 1996
• Parties            – 197
• UNCCD declared 2006 the “International Year of Deserts and Desertification”.
• In 2013, Canada became the first country to withdraw its membership from UNCCD but later rejoined it in 2016.
• The Holy See (Vatican City) is the only state that is not a party to the convention that is eligible to accede to it.

Source of this article: Down To Earth