Sand is the world’s most used resource after water and plays a vital role in both construction and the natural environment. But unlike water, sand is not considered a strategic resource. The new report states that our relationship with sand urgently needs to change, otherwise humanity and the natural environment may face some serious challenges. “Our sand resources are not endless and we need to use them wisely,” says Pascal Peduzzi, GRID-Geneva Director and report program coordinator at
UN Environment Program (UNEP): “Manufacturing products, infrastructures and services to drive sustainable development We need to drastically change the way we build and consume.”
Where is sand used?
Sand is the main component of concrete, asphalt and glass that make up our infrastructure. According to the report, nearly 50 billion tons of sand and gravel are used each year, enough to build a 27-metre-wide and 27-metre-high wall around the Earth. This heavy use is significantly outstripping the natural regeneration rate in some areas, meaning the sand supply could soon be in trouble.
As further population growth and greater urbanization are expected in the next few decades, these problems are likely to become more serious.
Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, director of UNEP’s Department of Economics, said in the report’s foreword, “Sand is becoming more and more vital to building the foundations of our societies: our homes, schools for our children, dams and photovoltaic panels to generate renewable energy. Sand is part of human development. “It is also necessary to build roads, bridges, hospitals and infrastructure, which is key. Sand is therefore the unrecognized hero of our development.”
Aggarwal-Khan continues, “We now find ourselves in a position where the needs and expectations of our communities cannot be met without improved management of sand resources.”
In addition to supply problems, sand extraction also leads to erosion, salinization of aquifers and loss of protection from storm surges, causing growing problems in a number of coastal or marine ecosystems.
The report argues that to avoid a crisis, sand must be recognized both as a building material and as a strategic resource because of its multiple roles in the natural world, and to be closely regulated by new institutional and legal structures. It also recommends banning the removal of sand from beaches. Finally, he states that people should be encouraged to use alternatives to sand such as crushed rock, recycled construction, demolition material and “ore sand”.
As Peduzzi says, “If we can understand how to manage the world’s most mined solids, we can prevent a crisis and move towards a circular economy.”
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