China marks sandstorm day with innovation, progress

July 12 marks the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, with this year's theme, "Sand and Dust Storms: Working Across Agendas for Resilience and Sustainability," highlighting the importance of global cooperation in tackling these increasingly severe environmental challenges.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), sand and dust storms now affect 151 countries worldwide, impacting the environment, agriculture, food security, human health, transportation, energy systems and economies.

In response to this growing crisis, the UN General Assembly declared 2025-2034 the "United Nations Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms," an initiative launched on July 10, 2024. The Assembly called on the UN secretary-general to organize decade-long efforts at global, regional and national levels, supported by voluntary contributions from governments, the private sector and other stakeholders.

China has stepped up its efforts to combat desertification and land degradation, especially in its northern provinces.

Since June 2023, the country has completed over 6.67 million hectares of forestation and land restoration as part of a nationwide strategy to strengthen ecological security in its arid regions.

This spring witnessed rapid progress under the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program (TSFP), one of the world's largest afforestation initiatives.

In the eastern regions, significant advances have been made in stabilizing shifting dunes in areas such as Horqin and Hunshandake, where more than 948,000 hectares of sand lands have been stabilized.

In the central part of the country, around the Great Bend of the Yellow River, efforts have focused on controlling both sand and water erosion. So far, 3.18 million hectares of land have been rehabilitated, contributing to a notable reduction in sediment flowing into the river.

Meanwhile, in the west, along the Hexi Corridor and the periphery of the Taklimakan Desert, China has reinforced ecological barriers by expanding forests and grasslands. As a result, the edge of the Tengger Desert has reportedly retreated by 25 kilometers.

Zhang Shengdong, deputy director of the Department of Ecological Protection at the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, noted that in the past two years, the central government has invested 57.7 billion yuan (about $8 billion) and launched 369 major projects, treating a total of 8.2 million hectares of land.

He described this period as the most intensive phase of investment, achievement and impact in the program's history. Spanning nearly 47 percent of China's landmass, the TSFP has been strategically divided into 68 core zones, with science-based planning and coordination across departments and provinces guiding localized solutions.

On a local level, efforts continue to innovate. In Xilingol, Inner Mongolia, authorities are building more than 600 km of roads in rural and pastoral areas. These roads serve as a grid-like barrier to divide and block the movement of mobile sand dunes.

Along the edge of the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang, a massive "photovoltaic corridor," stretching approximately 800 km long and more than 1 km wide, is being constructed. This dual-purpose project aims to prevent desert expansion while promoting the use of renewable energy.

Technology is playing an increasingly central role in desertification control. China now widely employs unmanned drones for seedling delivery, as well as sand barrier-laying machines and specialized sand-fixation equipment, all of which have significantly improved efficiency.

According to Lu Qi, director of the Three-North Project Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Forestry, more than 100 major scientific and technological breakthroughs have been implemented in the region. Mechanized afforestation now accounts for nearly 50 percent of desert control operations, while improved tree and grass species are used in over 70 percent of reforested areas.

As the world embarks on the first year of the UN Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, China's achievements serve as a powerful example of how large-scale, science-driven efforts, backed by innovation and interregional cooperation, can contribute to global resilience and environmental sustainability.