Published July 19th, 2022 - 
A worker sweeps a road during a sandstorm in Iraq's Diyala province, on July 3: oil-rich Iraq is ranked one of the five countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and desertification AHMAD AL-RUBAYE AFP
Arab countries have witnessed sand storms in the past, but either they were not very intense or they were not at a high speed. Since the beginning of the third millennium, the increase in the number and intensity of its occurrence has reached an unprecedented level.
The general distribution of sand storms in the "dust belt" in the Northern Hemisphere is from the Great Sahara in Africa to Syria, the Arabian Peninsula, and Central Asia. Therefore, even now, the countries of the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula are among the most vulnerable countries to these storms in the world.
Meanwhile, the situation in Iraq is special and more acute. Iraq used to see one or two sandstorms every year, but this year there have been about10 sandstorms in April and May alone. In addition, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and other Arab countries experience dust storms.
A family crosses a street during a sandstorm in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on July 3: over the next two decades, Iraq can expect 272 dusty days per year, projected to surpass the 300-day mark by mid-century.Sabah ARAR AFP
Roots and causes
Sand or dust storms are wind storms full of sand particles and dust rising from the loose surface of the earth. In fact, thunderstorms and extreme pressure changes increase wind speed. Various direct and indirect human and non-human factors have an effect on the occurrence and intensification of dust storms. In fact, some of the causes of sand or dust storms are global.
Factors such as the La Niña phenomenon, a sharp decrease in surface water temperature in the Pacific Ocean, drought, climate changes and changes in the pattern of air masses, and global warming have an effect on the increase and spread of storms in the region. In the regional dimension, the shrinking of agricultural areas, the deterioration of soil conditions, the occurrence of conflicts and wars, the reduction of surface and underground water reserves, the lack of rain, the occurrence of drought and lack of vegetation, and the process of turning agricultural lands into deserts, lead to the formation of dust storms.
Also, flooding irrigation methods, the disappearance of swamps and drying up of lakes, strong winds, unfair removal of gardens and green areas, and settlements and urbanization lead to the formation of sand storms. Meanwhile, the construction of dams in the countries upstream of the rivers, the reduction of the water level of rivers such as the Tigris and Euphrates, (98% of the total water reserves of Iraq), and Turkey's water programs are among the causes of drought and the occurrence of sand or dust storms in Iraq.
At the national level, the type of wrong political and economic decision-making by countries can be very destructive in the environmental field. Failure to allocate proper credit and delay in combating desertification and stabilization of sand dunes, inappropriate agricultural programs, neglect and failure to renew dams and irrigation canals, and water leakage from networks actually serve to spread storms.
Consequences and risks
Dust storms vary in size and duration. Some affect dozens of square kilometers, and some have regional and cross-border dimensions. Therefore, their effects and risks cannot be in different local and regional dimensions.
In fact, apart from some positive effects of dust storms on seas or trees, in general, they have significant negative effects on society, economy, and environment on a local, regional, and global scale. In the field of health, dust, sand, small particles, carry viruses and dangerous bacteria and cause the death of people, the premature death of tens of thousands of people, respiratory diseases, etc., and the pressure on the health system of the countries. Sometimes the pollution remains for a long time or affects the vegetation of various countries in the region and the agricultural sector.
In another dimension, similar to the global damages of sand or dust storms, Middle East economies are vulnerable to dust storms. The destructive power of hurricanes in March 2021, in the Suez Canal, stopped approximately 60 billion dollars of trade. They are sometimes an important challenge for aviation and visibility on roads and transportation, and they have a negative effect on climate change, extreme drought, migration, and social unrest, and even accelerating the destruction of archaeological sites.
People ride during a sandstorm in the town of Khalis in Iraq's Diyala province on July 3: the country of 41 million, despite the mighty Tigris and Euphrates rivers, also suffers from water shortages and declining rainfall AHMAD AL-RUBAYE AFP
In fact, sand or dust storms can even increase the conflicts over water resources and lead to political and even military differences between countries. While oil and gas production is an important part of the gross domestic product of countries such as Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, etc., actually, sand storms can have a negative role in this field. In general, the consequences of storms in Iraq and Arab countries are increasing in various dimensions. Some people know that the damage from dust or sand storms is more than 150 billion dollars and more than 2.5% of the gross domestic product of most countries in the region.
Solutions and vision
Arab countries in the Middle East are one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. In fact, in order to reduce risks such as increasing the average temperature to a few degrees Celsius, the increasing vulnerability of countries such as Iraq, etc., it is necessary to pay attention to solutions to reduce the risks and eliminate the fundamentals of sand storms.
Although predicting the occurrence of dust storms is not as difficult as in the past, storms in the Middle East region are increasing. Even if they do not make it impossible to live in the region in an optimistic way, they will make it expensive.
Facts such as the loss of two-thirds of Iraq's green cover and the reduction of 18 million palm trees in Iraq and the absence of an important plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by some countries such as Kuwait are worrying. Meanwhile, in order to deal with the increase of dust storms, different approaches should be considered.
In the international dimensions, the United Nations in 2019 took into consideration a new approach to deal with dust storms and measures to reduce storms, adaptation and risk assessment, and increase awareness and information for policy-making. In this regard, the countries of the region should pay more serious attention to the issue of global climate change, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, climate negotiations, etc., with the aim of curbing sand storms.
In the regional dimension, dust storms do not recognize political borders. But ongoing political and geopolitical tensions have hindered cooperation in the field of environment and sand storms. Countries also sometimes only blame foreign hands to escape from their responsibilities. But regional cooperation is more vital than ever for the region's environment.
In the last decade, we have seen the emergence of some regional policies and meetings such as the authorities of Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, and Syria, and their emphasize on the need to collectively deal with the growing problem of sand storms, and the project of resilience against sand storms in Kuwait-Iraq cross-border.
However, the cross-border nature of environmental issues in the region and preventing the escalation of environmental crises requires the adoption of urgent and more decisive universal and regional measures.
Sometimes tense political relations between countries disrupt negotiations on how to deal with sand storms. But the reality is that dealing with consequences such as the forced migration of people, the possible drying up of the Tigris and Euphrates by 2040, and the effects of storms, require agreements and coordinated regional strategies.
In the national dimension, sand and dust storms are still a secondary issue. Governments should take a more serious look at forestry, dealing with desertification, stabilizing sand dunes, increasing the natural vegetation of areas, stabilizing soil, cultural and legal reforms in the environmental field, replanting desert lands, increasing agriculture, and encouraging farmers.
In this area, although projects such as launching the forecasting system storm in the United Arab Emirates, preparing a 10-year vision for Iraq to face the challenge of climate change, or the slogan "Saudi Green Initiative" and "Green Middle East Initiative" and planting at least 10 billion trees can be useful. But still many countries do not have any practical and accurate plan to deal with global warming, use the experiences of other countries, and deal widely to recognize and eliminate the causes of sand storms.
