Latest news with #PhilemonYang
India.com
13-07-2025
- General
- India.com
Shocking UN report reveals 70 lakh people die prematurely every year due to...
(Representational image: New Delhi: According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, sand and dust storms affect about 330 million people in more than 150 countries, and these are having a serious impact on health, economy and environment. What does WMO say? WMO representative Laura Patterson told the United Nations General Assembly that about 2 billion tons of dust is released every year, which is equivalent to 300 Giza pyramids of Egypt. She said that more than 80% of the world's dust comes from the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. It spreads hundreds and thousands of kilometers, crossing continents and oceans. What is United Nations General Assembly, in resolution 77/249? The United Nations General Assembly, in resolution 77/249, proclaimed 12 July as the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, and declared the period from 2025 to 2034 the United Nations Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms. General Assembly President Philemon Yang said that these storms are increasingly becoming a global challenge due to climate change, land degradation and non-sustainable practices. He said that the particles generated by these storms cause 7 million premature deaths every year. They increase respiratory and heart diseases. They reduce crop production by 25%, which increases the problems of hunger and migration. How much damage is caused by sand and dust? Rola A. A. H. Dashti, the head of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, said, 'The annual cost of dealing with these storms in the Middle East and North Africa is $ 150 billion, which is about 2.5% of GDP.' She said that storms in the Arab region this spring filled hospitals in Iraq with respiratory patients. Schools and offices in Kuwait and Iran were forced to close. Dashti stressed that it is important to include sand and dust storms on the global and national agenda. She stressed the need for collective will and funding to implement solutions such as land restoration, sustainable agriculture and integrated early warning systems.
MTV Lebanon
12-07-2025
- Climate
- MTV Lebanon
UN: Sand and Dust Storms Affect 330 Million People Due to Climate Change
A new report by the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has found that sand and dust storms are leading to 'premature deaths' due to climate change, with more than 330 million people in 150 countries affected. On Saturday, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) marked the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms and its designation of 2025 – 2034 as the UN Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms. The storms 'are fast becoming one of the most overlooked yet far-reaching global challenges of our time', said Assembly President Philemon Yang. 'They are driven by climate change, land degradation and unsustainable practices.' The secretary-general of WMO, Celeste Saulo, said on Thursday that sand and dust storms do not just mean 'dirty windows and hazy skies. They harm the health and quality of life of millions of people and cost many millions of dollars through disruption to air and ground transport, on agriculture and on solar energy production.' Airborne particles from these storms contribute to 7 million premature deaths annually, said Yang, adding that they trigger respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and reduce crop yields by up to 25%, causing hunger and migration. 'About 2 billion tonnes of dust are emitted yearly, equivalent to 300 Great Pyramids of Giza' in Egypt, Laura Paterson, the WMO's UN representative, told the UNGA. More than 80% of the world's dust comes from the deserts in North Africa and the Middle East, added Paterson, but it has a global effect because the particles can travel hundreds and even thousands of kilometres across continents and oceans. Undersecretary-General Rola Dashti, head of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, told the assembly the storms' economic costs are 'staggering'. In the Middle East and North Africa, it costs $150bn, roughly 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), annually to deal with dust and sand storms, 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 school and office closures. Dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa has travelled as far as the Caribbean and Florida, she said. For the United States, dust and wind erosion caused $154bn in damage in 2017, a quadrupling of the amount since 1995, according to a study in the scientific journal Nature. The WMO and World Health Organization also warned that the health burden is rising sharply, with 3.8 billion people – nearly half the global population – exposed to dust levels exceeding WHO safety thresholds between 2018 and 2022, up from 2.9 billion people affected between 2003 and 2007.
Arab News
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Arab News
Sand and dust storms affect about 330 million people in over 150 countries, UN agency says
UNITED NATIONS: 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 UN 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 UN representative, Laura Paterson, told the General Assembly. More than 80 percent 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 UN 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 percent, causing hunger and migration. Undersecretary-General Rola Dashti, head of the UN 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 sandstorms is $150 billion, roughly 2.5 percent 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 UN Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, said over 20 UN 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.'
CTV News
11-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Sand and dust storms affect about 330 million people in over 150 countries, UN agency says
Rock formations stand in the Sahara desert outside the city center of Djanet, a southeastern Algerian oasis town in the Sahara desert, on July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Audrey Thibert) UNITED NATIONS — 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 UN World Meteorological Organization says. 'About two billion tons of dust are emitted yearly, equivalent to 300 Great Pyramids of Giza,' in Egypt, the organization's UN representative, Laura Paterson, told the General Assembly. More than 80 per cent 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 kilometres 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 UN 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 seven million premature deaths every year. He said they trigger respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and reduce crop yields by up to 25 per cent, causing hunger and migration. Undersecretary-General Rola Dashti, head of the UN 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 US$150 billion, roughly two and a half per cent 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 UN Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, said over 20 UN 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.' Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press
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.'
