Sand Crisis: Will Sand Run Out?

Created By RISC | 9 months ago

Last modified date : 9 months ago

Ever wondered what would happen if sand vanished from the world?​

UNEP warned last year that we should prepare for a sand crisis as a new disaster. Are we really running out of sand? How could it affect us?​

Sand is the world’s most mined mineral because it’s an important material for industries including glass, electronics, chips, smartphones, and cosmetics. Sand is the primary raw material in the construction industry for concrete and cement as well as asphalt roads.​

This crisis could mark a turning point in construction. ​

Each year, 40-50 billion metric tons of sand is used solely in the construction industry, up 300% in just 20 years amid urbanization, urban population growth, and infrastructure development.​

What will happen if we continue to use sand irresponsibly until there’s a global sand shortage?​

The ecosystem will become out of balance because sand grains contain important nutrients for animals such as birds and many sea fish, harming food chains and ecosystems. Sand is also essential for water balance. Flooding will become more common and more severe.

The second impact will be on many industries that use sand as a component, particularly construction, because most buildings are made of concrete with sand as the primary raw material. If we keep building the same buildings, there may be no resources left to build with in the future.​

So how should we respond to this crisis?​

We must shift from traditional construction methods into new processes to reduce the use of sand, such as reusing old concrete by crushing it into aggregate, finding alternative materials, and developing new technologies such as timber construction (because we can't create new sand, but we can grow new forests).​

Story by Tiptaptim Sunpaechudasil, Senior Sustainable Designer, RISC