Inspiration from the Great Plains dust storms in the 20th century

By LIU Shu, TIAN Yuzhao

Abstract: History is a mirror, also a profound textbook. Today, when we enjoy the blue sky, white clouds and crisp autumn air in Beijing, benefiting from the achievements of China's environmental governance in recent years, we should not forget that this northern metropolis was once afflicted by spring dust storms. In the long history of the world, the widespread damage caused by high-intensity dust storms is not far away. So, how to prevent and control desertification in a scientific way and nip in the bud from the root? This is a thought-provoking question. This article was written months after the vast northern areas of China experienced a dust storm from March 14 to 15 in 2021. This article reviews the history of the first half of the 20th century when the dust storms in the western United States. Its description of the natural and social scenes at that time and the continued destruction are still frightening to read today, and its root cause is even more thought-provoking. Ecological prosperity is the precondition for civilization prosperity. In the context of today's global ecological civilization, we should "take the history as a mirror and create the future". The paper, as one of the first discipline construction series of soil and water conservation and desertification control, is expected to help the readers get useful reference and inspiration.

Key words: Science of soil and water conservation and desertification control, sandstorm, desertification control, environmental protection

LIU Shu, TIAN Yuzhao. Inspiration from the Great Plains dust storms in the 20th century. Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development. Volume 1, Issue 11. October 2022. ISSN2749-9065