By Olivia Le Poidevin
The growth of global demand for sand, driven by a construction sector keeping pace with urbanization, is endangering many ecosystems and local communities, according to a report published Tuesday by the United Nations (UN).
Approximately 50 billion tonnes of sand are used each year in the construction sector and for various other applications, and sand demand is expected to double by 2060 if current trends continue – a pace faster than replenishing stocks.
In its report, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) highlights that sand is the most exploited natural resource in the world after water, while noting that its use is largely unregulated.
UNEP adds that sand is being consumed more quickly than it can be renewed through geological processes that take hundreds of thousands of years.
According to UNEP, unsustainable sand extraction not only leads to environmental degradation in areas hosting vital habitats for fish, turtles, birds, and crabs, but also disrupts local communities near the operations.
Depletion of terrestrial sand resources is driving an increase in sea dredging, continues the UNEP report, noting that half of dredging companies operate in protected marine areas (MPAs).
Sand is extracted from natural ecosystems and turns into “dead sand” when it is extracted and transformed into concrete, asphalt, and glass – instead of being used to filter water and protect shores from erosion, the report says.
“Sand is our first line of defense against rising sea levels, storm surges, and salinization of coastal aquifers – risks exacerbated by climate change,” emphasized Pascal Peduzzi, director of UNEP’s World Resources Database, in Geneva.
The UNEP report also notes a growing interest in the exploitation of magnetite sand, sometimes called “black sand,” which contains precious minerals, in regions such as Southeast Asia and Latin America.
UNEP calls for strengthening governance, including the establishment of national sand inventories and a better recognition of sand as a strategic resource.
(French version by Benoit Van Overstraeten, edited by Blandine Hénault)
