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 organisation’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 (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. (Jamaica Gleaner)