China News Agency reporter: Chen Shu
Total number of words: 2155
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
This spring, the wind rose in Mongolia, and along the way, "imported dust" and "domestic sand" were wrapped in each other in China, and sandstorms frequently hit.
On April 4, a small plume of sand and dust occurred on the border between China and Mongolia, which continued to travel southeast under the action of the northerly air flow. In the afternoon of the same day, there was a sand and dust weather in Beijing. On April 25, the visibility of Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport was only 4 meters. It is understood that China has had 19 sand and dust weather processes this year, the most in the same period in the past 400 years. The northern city of "yellow sand" once again brushed the Internet, causing heated public opinion.
Why is there more sand and dust this year? In the face of cross-border and cross-regional sand sources, how should we promote the "global governance" of sand and dust? China News Agency's "East-West Question" interviewed researcher Lu Qi, chief scientist of the Chinese Academy of Forestry.
The following is a summary of the interview:
China News Agency: Since the beginning of this year, China has seen 11 sand and dust weather processes, the most in the past 10 years. According to the China Meteorological Disaster Yearbook (2020), in the past 20 years, the average number of sand-and-dust weather from March to April was 3.4, and April this year has not yet ended, and the number has exceeded the average of previous years. What is the reason for the more sand and dust weather this year?
Lu Qi: There are three main reasons, one is the frequent cold air activity in spring, and the wind generated by Mongolian cyclones and ground cold fronts is strong, which provides power conditions for the occurrence of sand and dust weather; Second, the temperature rises rapidly in the early stage, and the unstable air state provides thermal conditions for sand up. Third, the surface conditions are poor, and in the 2022 vegetation growing season, the precipitation in the main sand and dust source areas is less than one to four percent, and the vegetation growth status is biased. This year's precipitation is <> to <>% less than usual, coupled with the rapid melting of the permafrost, less snow cover, delayed vegetation rejuvenation, poor resistance to wind erosion of the topsoil, and easy sand formation.
On March 2023, 3, the "sand and dust wall" in Zhangye City, Gansu Province rolled forward. Photo by Wang Chao
On April 2023, 4, Hohhot citizens traveled in the sand. Photographed by Ding Genhou
China News Agency: What efforts has China made in forest and grass construction to control sand and dust weather? Some voices pointed out that China's "Three North" shelter forest and other shelter forest projects continue to advance, but the sand and dust weather has not been significantly improved, what is the reason behind it?
Lu Qi: Data show that during the 2016th Five-Year Plan period (2020-1097), China's desert ecosystem protection and desertification control achieved remarkable results, and a total of 8.2022 million hectares of desertification prevention and control tasks were completed. According to the recently released Communiqué on China's Land Greening Status in 383, China has completed afforestation of 321.4 million hectares, grass improvement of 184.73 million hectares, treatment of sandy fossil desertification land of 2.31 million hectares, forest area of 24 million hectares, forest coverage rate of 02.2000%. Since 25, China has implemented a series of ecological restoration projects, and the land has "changed from yellow to green", contributing 2030% of the world's green increase. Each of the 17 indicators benchmarked against the United Nations <> Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) showed an upward trend, particularly in land degradation restoration.
Forest rangers in Megati County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, sort out dropper equipment in the windbreak and sand fixation forest. Photo by Tomita
However, sandstorms are more of a natural phenomenon, a natural process. Northwest China, the Gobi region of southern Mongolia and the desert areas of Central Asia mostly cover natural deserts, sandy lands, Gobi lands, as well as desertification land and desertification land formed by man-made superimposed natural causes. These places are usually sparsely vegetated, and once winter snowfall melts prematurely in spring, without snow cover, exposed surface sand material can easily "dance in the wind".
In 1978, the State Council officially approved the construction project of the "Three North" shelter forest system. Compared with the above-mentioned "sand source", the vegetation area of the "three north" shelter forest is small, and the role of blocking sandstorms in spring is limited. The influence range of cold air and strong wind is mainly at an altitude of more than a kilometer in the vertical direction, and the shelter forest several meters to tens of meters high can block part of the coarse sand and fine sand on the surface, but it is far from blocking the silt and clay carried high in the air by the wind. Therefore, as a comprehensive major ecological project, the "Three North" shelter forest has played an important role in improving the ecological environment of the "Three North" area, although it is not a "special medicine" and "special medicine" for sandstorm control, but it is an indispensable "long-acting drug".
China News Agency: Statistics show that China still has 257,37,168 square kilometers of desertified land and 78,<>,<> square kilometers of desertified land. Can these desertification lands be cured? Is dust weather a regular problem?
Lu Qi: Sandstorms have existed since ancient times. In recent years, the frequency of sand and dust weather in China has decreased, but it has never disappeared and will remain for a long time in the future. Of China's approximately 170.50 million square kilometers of desertified land, about 120,<> square kilometers of desertification land can be treated, and treatment should be accelerated, while the other <>.<> million square kilometers are mainly native deserts and Gobi, which should be mainly protected and restored.
Sandstorms are natural processes and natural phenomena, since natural deserts exist, sandstorms are difficult to be eliminated, and it is necessary to accept the objective existence of sandstorms. However, land desertification can be prevented and treated, land desertification is land degradation caused by natural factors and human factors, and desertification land treatment is an effective means to reduce the frequency and intensity of sandstorms.
Sand control personnel in Linze County, Gansu Province use straw, reeds, etc. to control sand in grass grids. Photo by Chen Li
At present, the overall trend of desertification in China has been curbed, but desertification control still has a long way to go. China's desertification area still accounts for a quarter of the country's land area, which is still one of the prominent ecological and environmental problems, and the later the treatment, the greater the difficulties, the higher the difficulty of breakthrough. China's desertification land is still large and heavy, and the overall vegetation cover is still low, and the difficulty lies in the huge base. Individual unreasonable human activities still exist; Investment in desertification prevention and control is seriously insufficient; Sandstorms know no borders, and desertification in neighboring countries is serious. In addition, China's deserts and sandy lands provide a large source of sand.
China News Agency: Neighboring Mongolia is one of the important sources of sand. According to statistics, the recent northern sand and dust weather are the sand source of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, and the sand source of China's sand source is superimposed in the process of going south. What efforts has China made to promote international cooperation on sandstorm governance? What are the future international cooperation plans and suggestions?
Lu Qi: Combating desertification is a common challenge for all mankind. Desertification is still a major global environmental problem and development bottleneck, seriously threatening ecological security and sustainable economic and social development. There are "four good medicines" for global desertification control - the formulation of a protocol to the Convention to unify the "weights and measures" of global implementation and compliance; Build a global observation network to see the changes in drylands from afar; Compile a global list of natural deserts (heritage) to leave a sea of native sand for future generations; Launch the "Global Governance" initiative to achieve the 2030 land degradation neutrality target.
In 2017, the <>th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was held in Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Photo by Liu Wenhua
This spring's sandstorm reminded people that mankind is a community with a shared destiny, and that sandstorm prevention and sand source governance need to strengthen global governance, global governance, and whole-process governance.
At present, overseas sandstorm disasters may enter China at any time, and related work requires global efforts. In recent years, China and Mongolia have continued to strengthen bilateral cooperation in desertification control. In November 2022, when the leaders of China and Mongolia met, China proposed that it is "willing to explore with Mongolia the establishment of a China-Mongolia Desertification Prevention and Control Cooperation Center" to push cross-border governance and joint protection of the well-being of the two peoples to a new height. In the future, China and Mongolia will work together to promote the construction of the center and provide scientific and technological support, decision-making support and think tank services for combating desertification.
Respondent Profile:
Lu Qi, male, born in 1963, Ph.D., chief scientist of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, academic leader of soil and water conservation and desertification control. Since 1995, he has been mainly engaged in scientific research in desertification control, dryland ecosystem management, macro strategy and international policy. He has presided over and participated in more than 30 international, national, provincial and ministerial scientific research projects, published more than 150 papers (translations), and edited or co-edited more than 20 books; It has won 5 provincial and ministerial science and technology awards and 4 national science and technology awards. He has won the honors of "National Advanced Individual in Sand Prevention and Control", National Advanced Individual in Field Science and Technology Work, and National Advanced Worker; He is a national-level candidate for the "New Century Millions of Talents Project" and enjoys the special government allowance of the State Council.