UNEP Warns of Escalating Sand Shortage, Environmental Risks

(MENAFN) Global consumption of sand is accelerating at a pace that far exceeds nature’s ability to restore it, placing ecosystems, wildlife diversity, and communities’ livelihoods under increasing pressure across the globe, UNEP cautioned in a report published Tuesday.

The study revealed that the planet currently utilizes nearly 50 billion tonnes of sand each year, fueled by rising populations, rapid urban growth, expanding infrastructure projects, and continued economic progress.

According to UNEP, the need for sand specifically used in construction is expected to climb by as much as 45 percent by 2060.

The organization explained that the expanding “sand gap” represents the growing imbalance between the fast rate of extraction and the extremely slow natural formation of sand, a process that takes hundreds of thousands of years.

“Sand is sometimes referred as the unrecognized hero of development, but its essential role in sustaining the natural services on which we depend is even more overlooked,” stated Pascal Peduzzi, head of the UNEP Global Resource Information Database Geneva.

The report also differentiates between “dead” sand, which is commonly utilized in concrete, asphalt, and glass manufacturing, and “alive” sand located in rivers, deltas, and coastal regions that plays a crucial role in regulating water movement, safeguarding coastlines, and preserving biodiversity.

MENAFN12052026000045017167ID1111103315