Why dust storms are covering Europe: recently, sandstorms have begun to appear more often in regions where few people previously thought about them .
Telegraph reported this information, reports URA-Inform.
General situation
This sad phenomenon is confirmed by United Nations data, which indicates an increase in the frequency and severity of sand and dust storms in various parts of the planet, especially in desert and steppe areas. For example, in the vast American Great Plains, the number of such storms has doubled over the past two decades. In just two months of 2022, 10 sand storms occurred in Iraq.
Opinion of experts
Scientists suggest that this trend will only increase. Dust storms are currently affecting other regions of the world, such as southern Europe. The key factors influencing the occurrence of storms are large-scale deforestation, over-enrichment of soils with agricultural crops, overgrazing, climate change and shrinking water bodies.
Source of storms
However, as the publication reports, many of these storms are of natural origin. Professor David Thomas, from Oxford University's Center for the Environment, stresses that parts of the Sahara are a natural source of dust that enters the atmosphere due to natural causes rather than human activity. For example, dry lake beds created by climate change in the distant past are now becoming sources of dust around the world. Thus, all of the above is the answer to the question of why dust storms are covering Europe.
How is the world community going to fight?
To fight with this natural disaster, the UN recommends land restoration, soil and water management to increase vegetation cover. China is leading the way in this matter, implementing the world's largest tree planting project – the Big Green Wall. Since the project began in 1978, more than 66 billion trees have been planted, and by 2050 it is planned to plant another 100 billion, but it is unknown whether these plans are being realized.
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