Urbanisation-Led Sand Shortages Fuelling Violent Conflict and Environmental Disasters

Sep 13, 2017 | Cameron Jewell, The Fifth State
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Sand and gravel are now the world’s most extracted materials – surpassing fossil fuels – but overexploitation and shortages are fuelling violent conflict and leading to worrisome environmental, economic and health impacts, according to researchers writing in journal Science. The past century has seen a 23-fold increase in the volume of natural resources used for buildings and transport infrastructure, and sand and gravel has accounted for the vast majority of these materials (79 per cent in 2010). In 2010, 11 billion tonnes were mined, with the Asia-Pacific region having the highest extraction rates.