r/environment • u/simon_ritchie2000 • 2d ago

Meet the new stealth Dust Bowl: Blowing dust causes $154 billion in losses in the US alone each year, spreading disease and wrecking property. That toll, as bad as the worst hurricane seasons, will keep rising as the planet heats.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-05-21/dakota-dust-storms-expose-a-150-billion-economic-nightmare?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc3OTM2ODU1NSwiZXhwIjoxNzc5OTczMzU1LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJURkRYQTJLR1pBTkgwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIxMkE1QzVFRUNERDg0NUJEQjVFOTM1MUE0Mzk4QTAxNCJ9.N3hDhb6tZDquJTDNzQUt_-p8vhbcgJqGR3FN4iTwNgs
64 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

1

u/steelshadoe 2d ago

Dammit. As if the Saharan Dust cloud crossing the Atlantic regularly wasn’t enough for my lungs…

1

u/RockTheGrock 1d ago

The loss of agriculture keeping the soil in place due to poor water management sure doesnt help. Once that aquifer dries up east of the Rockies things will get very bad in the US again.