Sandstorm observed sweeping across wide areas of Japan

cough cough It has already made news in the US. This is supposed to be a particularly bad season. The Chinese government is kind of downplaying it because they have been planting trees to prevent this. Greenpeace is quite sure that their efforts have failed. Whoever is right, the khosa has hit the fan. Hunker down, peeps.

There is no downplaying in Chinese media. Hundreds of millions of trees have been planted over the last two/three decades but they can only reduce the velocity of sandstorms and not avoid them. As for "Greenpeace" ... isn't it sad that even sandstorms are subject to criticism if they occur in China.... Some really feed on any kind of bad news if it only serves their own agenda.

I always find it bizarre how people blame China, as though they willingly sent the storm over to inconvenience people here. Sure, air pollution is a huge problem them; namely SMOG (not sand). Sand blowing in from the desert is not the result of climate change or what have you, and if it is it is in part due to vegetation in or around the desert being cut down or eaten -- like the goats who eat the desert grass in large numbers to make cashmere for export to Japan, which you might call irony.

Oh no! Sand!

Lol, you call THAT a Sandstorm?

Obviously you've never been to the Middle East.

is in part due to vegetation in or around the desert being cut down or eaten -- like the goats who eat the desert grass in large numbers to make cashmere for export to Japan

Wha,ha,ha,ha! I've heard it all now! smithinjapan has just blamed the Chinese polluted air/ sandstorm mix on goats recruited by the Japanese for their cashmere exports!! Ah,ha,ha,ha!!

All I know is I reminder way back we even saw sand storms from China in America. As The World Turns™.

When I was stationed in Italy, fine sand would come in from Africa on the winds leaving a fine covering on everything. We called them Sirocco.

That time of the year again. Clean the car everyday, buy boxes and boxes of tissues for the partner...

Yup, and it even seems better this year than usual, so far.

Instead of complaining, Japan can do something useful like planting millions of desert moss plants, saltwort, Saxaul trees, etc in the Gobi desert and Mongolia. Japanese are excellent in forestry preservation and there are enough cherry trees and maples in Japan already. Don't waste the talent and skills.

That's a great idea. Abe just gave a bunch of money to Mongolia, why not trees and Japanese know how?

Yes it was everywhere here in Kobe Sun/Mon, not visible in the sky but on the cars etc, but to blame China for a sand storm under the pretext of deforestation..... where does the wood come from for throw away chopsticks and wooden housing? As for green"peice" they were compromised a long long time ago.