A History of Sand
The late Washington University scientist and ecologist, Barry Commoner, was a leader of the modern environmental movement. His foundational law of ecology, “Everything is connected to everything else,” has been a benchmark on the home page of this blog from day one. Ecologists study the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. The environmental movement asks, how does human activity impact the planet?
The history of sand, a seemingly limitless resource, illustrates how a largely overlooked component of today’s economy has triggered conflict globally and fueled a violent black market. Sand is an essential element in the production of glass, silicon computer chips, insulation and concrete. Like any other natural resource, the supply of sand is finite and, although it is still being created, it is being used faster than it can be replenished. Sand comes from many locations and most forms take a long time to form.
The sand found in rivers and streams was formed over thousands or even millions of years by the erosion and weathering of rocks. Variation in color on most sand beaches depends on the type of rock, with quartz or feldspar contributing to a brown shade; basaltic rocks from volcanic activity producing black sand. Decay of shelled organisms produces pink sand. White beach sand is a byproduct of the digestion of parrotfish that feed on coral reef material. River sand, consisting of tremendously hard quartz grains eroded from mountains or other rock, is used to make concrete. Desert sand is too fine and too smooth for use in concrete.
ow, how is the story of sand documenting Professor Commoner’s law that everything is connected to everything else? Various sources say the supply of sand worldwide is being depleted at a rate that will threaten economic growth. A January 2019 headline from Business Insider warned, “A global sand shortage could cause damaging effects to our rapidly urbanizing world.” In June 2016 a New York Times op-ed piece cited “The World’s Disappearing Sand.” And a June 2018 headline from Canada’s Global News reported, “The world is running out of sand — there’s even a violent black market for it.”
Rapid economic growth in China and India has required vast amounts of sand. The New York Times article reported that “From 2011 to 2013, China used more cement than the United States used in the entire 20th century.” Singapore is a major importer of sand; it has been used to enlarge the island nation by 24 percent since 1960. And Dubai, a city in the desert, imports sand for construction from Australia because the type of sand found in the desert is unsuitable for construction.
The shortage of sand has been the source of violent conflict in India. A so-called “sand mafia” has developed there, stealing sand from rivers and beaches. Singapore’s stockpiles of sand are guarded by its military. No wonder that governments and the private sector are being called upon to regulate sand use and extraction, and identify sustainable alternatives for sand as a building material. Business Insider underlined the significance of the scarcity, concluding, “Nothing less than global economic prosperity is at stake.” Professor Commoner warned us about this.