Increasing urbanisation is leading to a huge demand for sand, an essential ingredient in concrete and asphalt. China alone has used more cement in the 20th century than the US used in the whole of the past few years. Sand mining, whether carried out by hand by local populations or by multinationals using dredgers, is now causing environmental damage across the world. The process is eroding coastlines, threatening wildlife habitat and food supplies, lowering water levels, causing pollution and affecting fishing. Removing sand from rivers is also damaging infrastructure, particularly bridge foundations.
Increasing urbanisation is leading to a huge demand for sand, an essential ingredient in concrete and asphalt. China alone has used more cement in the past few years than the US used in the whole of the 20th century. Sand mining, whether carried out by hand by local populations or by multinationals using dredgers, is now causing environmental damage across the world. The process is eroding coastlines, threatening wildlife habitat and food supplies, lowering water levels, causing pollution and affecting fishing. Removing sand from rivers is also damaging infrastructure, particularly bridge foundations.