International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms
July 12 · Level 10 · #21 of 2238
This UN observance highlights sand and dust storms and their effects on air quality, transport and agriculture. It draws attention to protecting land, monitoring storms and giving communities timely warnings.
How it is celebrated: awareness events and expert meetings explore land restoration and cooperation across borders. Scientists explain how dust is tracked and why a storm's effects can reach places far beyond a desert.
Dust can cross an ocean: particles from the Sahara reach the Amazon and supply nutrients to its soils. The same natural process can cause serious disruption while also helping sustain distant ecosystems.