Sand Crisis Risks Depletion of World's Most-Used Natural Solid, UN Says

A new study from the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) relays data about the world's remaining sand materials.

The 'sand crisis' caught the attention of many experts due to the changes in the global sand demand in recent years. The most known materials produced by sand, including glass and concrete, increased in supply due to the growing populations and the surge of urbanization in many countries.

Sand Crisis: Depletion of Earth's Most Extracted Solid

Sand Crisis Risks Available Resources of World’s Most-Used Natural Solid, UN Says

(Photo: Mengliu Di)

In the study, experts from the international environment agency said that the sand we use per year could accumulate materials enough to build a massive wall that expands to 88 feet in width and height around Earth.

Despite the excessive use of sand recorded, there are still no regulations that could lessen the abnormal rates of its utilization, according to Reuters.

Sand is among the most used natural resources around the globe. It currently has the second spot for water. Alongside the supposedly endless grains of minerals, experts from UNEP warned that the increased consummation of the universal solvent also poses a separate threat, as the world is taking up water significantly faster than the natural processes responsible for producing it.

UNEP program coordinator Pascal Peduzzi explained in the organization's latest press release that the global population needs to shift to better solutions over the approach we have in producing, building, and taking up products, services, and infrastructures based on sand.

In this way, we would be able to achieve sustainable development and preserve the limited sand resources we have, Peduzzi added.

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Steps to Avert Shortage of Sand

The sand of our planet is not only for the commonly-known uses such as infrastructure materials and electronics. It also serves as a natural part of life cycles in many species of plants and animals. The absence of this interaction could result in biodiversity loss, Peduzzi said.

The coordinator also emphasized that having control over the most extracted solid material worldwide could help to hinder the risks that the sand crisis may inflict in the future and let the circular economy function as it is, The Byte reports.

The study UNEP experts presented includes utilizing other viable materials that could serve as alternatives for sand, including crushed rocks and other byproducts from the mining activities.

The organization also suggested that a central authority or institution should be placed for countries to get a grip and keep the usage of sand monitored.

In a previous report, Universite Catholique de Louvain ecology specialist Aurora Torres explained that the sand crisis is not an isolated issue but affects all countries that rely on sand production.

The study was published on April 26 in the UNEP portal, titled "Sand and Sustainability: 10 Strategic Recommendations to Avert a Crisis," falling under the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and as a follow-up to the "Sand and sustainability finding new solutions for environmental governance" presented by the organization in 2019.