Susan: Hey, John. You’re back. A few days ago, a big sandstorm hit our city
John: Oh, that’s bad.
Susan: The air was full of dirt and sand and dust. I had to wear a scarf around my head.
John: The dust, as I know, comes from Mongolia. And from my reading in science, I’ve heard the dust often comes after a long period of drought.
Susan: This is a serious problem in many parts of the world, and unfortunately our city is one of them.
John: And if the drought continues, the soil is easily airborne. And then if the wind comes, the soil can be lifted up on the cold are that rises up, and it can travel very long distances.
Susan: Normally, when there’s a wind, it can clear the air, and you have beautiful weather. But when the dust is brought in with the wind, then you can’t breathe, you can’t see well, and it’s dangerous for driving, or for walking.
John: Yeah. You know, when the dust is lifted up it can go as high 3,000 meters. And it’s not just China that has problems, but many other countries. For example, the middle of Australia sometimes has dust storms, and some of the dust goes up very high, goes across the ocean, and falls down on New Zealand.
Susan: Not a very nice neighbor.
John: Is there a solution to the problem?
Susan: We need to plant more trees and grass so that the soil can stay where it is.
John: No wonder the government is launching a new afforestation program in a bid t address the environmental problem.
