Desertification and SDS can cause substantial socioeconomic damage in drylands  over both the short and long term. Short-term impacts occur on health, food production systems, infrastructure , transport and related economic productivity, air and road traffic, and costs incurred in clearing sand and dust from deposition areas . In the Arab region increasing frequency of SDS events is projected to further exacerbate water scarcity and drought . Longer-term costs include loss of ecosystem services, biodiversity and habitat, chronic health problems, soil erosion and reduced soil quality , and disruption of global climate regulation . Dust deposition nevertheless can offer environmental and economic benefits, bringing important nutrients that improve and sustain soil fertility . Preventing and reducing SDS entails upfront investment costs but full benefit-cost analyses of different measures compared to the costs of inaction are scarce and need to consider the likely frequency and magnitude of SDS events .
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report