Hardly a raw material of the earth is traded in such large quantities as Sand. According to a study by the UN environment programme, Unep, which was presented in Geneva, to be implemented each year, 40 to 50 billion tons of Sand. Within the past 20 years, the demand for Sand and gravel have tripled. The volume of a traded commodity only in the case of water is even greater.
At the same time, the authors warn authors of the study, before the unregulated removal of the Sand. This is hazardous to the environment, and promote the crime: “rivers, Deltas and coasts are washed out, the ‘Sand mafia’ are in bloom and the demand continues to increase”, – stated in the study of Unep.
the reason for the high demand for Sand is the worldwide Boom in the construction industry. Because the world population is growing and more and more people in cities, will always be built. Annually, the United Nations, estimate the demand for Sand and gravel for the construction of houses and roads to 5.5 percent increases.
raw materials – These elements are almost Without it, there would be no cell phones, no excursions and no sun cream: more and more substances, which we know from the periodic system, be rar. The world needs you urgently. Without sandy Floods
threaten The possible consequences of the unregulated sand mining could cause a lot of damage: To coastal and river landscapes, lead to excessive sand mining, Flooding increased. These Ecosystems would be in some places so severely damaged that they are for animals habitable. There where a lot of Sand will be broken down, sink in addition, the ground water level. At the same time, the probability of droughts increases.
“We consume our sand budget faster than we can produce it responsibly,” said Joyce Msuya, Director of the environment programme of the United Nations. Through a better regulation of the sand mining would show that “infrastructure and nature can go Hand in Hand”.
The representatives of the UN environment programme call for a clear regulatory and sustainable management of the world’s Sand. In addition, the company must think about sand alternatives in the construction industry.
