The End of Sand

Abstract

This chapter focuses on how sand, the second most used natural resource on earth after water, is facing one of the greatest environmental challenges of the new millennium. Sand is a crucial material used in all sorts of building projects, from asphalt, concrete, and glass. Globally, construction accounts for the largest portion of the 15 billion tons of sand consumed annually. Yet, sand is a finite resource and the depletion of alluvial sand used in construction is destroying the ecosystem of riverbeds, sea beds, and coastal beaches, and is contributing seriously to climate change. This chapter will discuss how these threats have developed, including coastal construction and erosion, river dredging, and sand “mafias” whereby illegal sand miners strip beaches and use sand in inferior concrete that has led to building collapses and deaths. The authors then discuss potential solutions to this crisis, including regulation and enforcement of environmental and construction standards, as well as materials substitution such as desert sand, sand created from sandstone, and recycled glass.