It’s time we talk about a new global crisis:
the Sand crisis.
And no, I’m not talking about the frustration
from getting sand out of your underpants after
a day at the beach.
For most of us, that’s the limit of our
experience with sand: it’s at the beach,
we maybe make a castle out of it, it clings
to things, and then we go home.
Few of us stop to think about the role sand
plays in our daily lives.
Sand is used to make glass, electronics, and
in fracking.
Huge quantities of sand have been dumped into
the sea to reclaim land for development while
other cities need it to shore up islands against
rising sea levels.
But it’s mostly used in construction.
Sand is the remains of pulverized and weathered
rock mixed with shell fragments and other
bits and pieces washed up and left as sediment
from a body of water.
And because of that, sand is unique to where
you find it — its composition depends on
the rocks and minerals in that part of the
world, some of which are sturdier and last
longer than others.
This means with populations rising, sand is
quickly becoming a hot commodity.
Because, not all sand is created equal.
The fine-grained sand of the Sahara, for example,
does not make an appropriate building material.
Instead, coarser sand must be mined.
Usually from the banks of local rivers and
coastlines, and this brings a whole host of
environmental and human problems, but also
makes for a valuable export.
You’d think sand is everywhere, but it’s
NOT.
Modern cities use a lot of sand in construction;
the global total for sand mining in 2010 was
about 11 billion metric tons (12 tons).
Sand is a globalized commodity, whose trade
value has increased sixfold in the last quarter-century.
FOR SAND.
Some cities are built on sand-heavy foundations
but mostly it’s used to make concrete and
asphalt.
Nations like Dubai import the “right”
kind of sand for construction -- even though
they’re surrounded by desert sand it isn’t
strong enough for concrete, so the necessary
sand is imported from Australia.
And cities experiencing incredible growth
rates are using a lot of sand.
According to estimates, China used more concrete
from 2011 to 2014 than the US went through
in the entire 20th century.
And their rate isn’t slowing down.
There are plans to build cities that will
dwarf New York!
And because of this booming urbanization -- sand
mining has increased -- with some pretty negative
consequences.
Sand for construction in Shanghai was originally
dredged from the bottom of the Yangtze River.
But bridges were damaged, the riverbank collapsed,
and the shipping industry was disrupted so
much that dredging the river bottom was banned.
Now nearby Lake Poyang is dredged.
But it’s not just structural.
Sand dredging is taking a toll on the environment
too.
Dropping water levels can damage nearby wetlands,
destroy the habitat for migratory birds, and
putting animals that rely on that water source
on endangered species lists.
Sand extraction in Kenya damaged coral reefs.
In India it’s a threat to rare crocodiles.
In Indonesia sand mining wiped out whole islands.
So, what can we do about this “sand crisis”?
One solution could be developing new materials
with all the properties of sand for use in
construction.
Another could be to find an alternative to
concrete for building.
Whatever the case, this is soon to be something
we can’t ignore.
Recycling concrete could help, but some countries
might not be able to set up the infrastructure
to do that.
Finding an alternative to sand is ideal, but
difficult; it would be hard to replace something
that has, until now, been so abundant and
cheap.
So, next time you’re shaking sand out off
your shoes at the beach, remember, this material
is important.
It’s a natural resource.
It’s not renewable.
And like a lot of nature -- it’s got a lot
of value.
We’re finally recognizing our insane use
of sand as a problem, and that is the first
step to finding a solution.
There are OTHER ways we’re making construction
more environmentally friendly, like building
skyscrapers out of WOOD.
How?
Find out here.
Fun fact: Shanghai has built as many high
rises in the last decade as have been built
in New York in the last century!
