Sand

For most of us, sand means beach. Howsomever, sand and gravel are now the most-extracted materials in the world. Sand is a key ingredient for concrete, roads, glass and electronics. Massive amounts of sand are mined for land reclamation projects, shale gas extraction and beach re-nourishment programs. 

In 2010, the world mined about 11 billion tons of sand just for construction. In the United States alone, production and use of construction sand and gravel was valued at $8.9 billion in 2016, and production has increased by 24 percent in the past five years. Further some scientists think that the published numbers for extraction and use are grossly underestimated. This is the result of under-reporting and failure to include non-construction purposes such as hydraulic fracturing and beach nourishment. Sand extraction is so popular that organized crime groups in India, Italy and elsewhere now deal in it.

This over-exploitation of global supplies of sand damages the environment, endangers communities, causes shortages and promotes violent conflict. Mining too much sand physically alters rivers and coastal ecosystems, increases suspended sediments and causes erosion. It can also negatively affect a variety of animals, including fish, dolphins, crustaceans and crocodiles. And it can impact us in bad ways. Beaches and wetlands buffer coastal communities against surging seas. Increased erosion resulting from extensive mining makes these communities more vulnerable to floods and storm surges.