Does humanity face a shortage of sand?

Our civilization literally stands on the sand. This is the second natural resource exploited by mankind after water and the most mined solid raw materials in the world. According to UNEP (the UN program on the environment), the sand and gravel accounts for 68–85% of everything that a person dug from the bowels of the Earth. They make concrete and asphalt from them, create bulk areas at sea, used in the production of glass, electronics and for oil production. As the city will grow, and the countries are rich, the demand for the sand will only increase. As a result, this material has turned into a topic for a stormy discussion: what will happen if it is mined with the current pace? Will the sand crisis come? Will the sand rise in price?

Where the sand goes

The areas of sand consumption are difficult to count, but most of all the sand goes to the construction site. This material is the main ingredient of concrete (80%) and asphalt (more than 90%).

The largest consumer of sand today is Asia: in particular, China and India, where there is a construction boom, and Singapore, which actively expands its territory due to bulk sites. The PRC is the main importer of sand in the world, according to various estimates, from the fifth of the global imports, one country has one of this country. The scale of China’s needs is amazing: according to the scientist from the UN Pascal Peduzzi, over the past four years he consumed more sand than the United States over the past century.

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