en.Wedoany.com Reported - The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a report on June 7, 2026, stating that sand has become the world's second most overexploited natural resource, after water. The report shows that nearly 50 billion tons of sand are extracted globally each year—enough to build a wall 27 meters high and 27 meters wide encircling the Earth's equator. The report, co-authored by UNEP staff member Pascal Peduzzi, is based on a comprehensive assessment of global sand and gravel extraction activities.
Sand is widely used in construction, transportation, manufacturing, and other industries. From skyscrapers and highways to glass products and microchips, the modern economy is almost inseparable from this seemingly ordinary and readily available resource. Despite the vast reserves of sand on Earth, high-quality sources suitable for construction and industrial use are not abundant. Industries primarily rely on sand and gravel resources from rivers, coasts, shallow seabeds, and quarries. These areas are vital components of ecosystems: sand not only filters water and stabilizes riverbeds and coastlines but also provides habitats for numerous organisms.
Research indicates that overexploitation of riverbeds can lead to increased flood risks, declining groundwater levels, and degradation of aquatic habitats. Additionally, ecological imbalances in rivers may result in reduced soil fertility, increased water salinity, and ultimately affect food production. Marine environments are also under pressure: industrial dredging vessels extract sand on a large scale from the seabed, disrupting seafloor structures and impacting microbial communities that form the base of the marine food chain. Some fishing communities have already reported impacts from declining fishery resources. Furthermore, sand serves as a crucial natural barrier against sea-level rise and storm erosion. As beaches shrink, coastal areas' ability to withstand floods and erosion diminishes, posing a particularly acute threat to island nations like the Maldives.
Sand extraction has also triggered a range of economic and social issues. As suitable sand sources become increasingly scarce, competition over sand resources in some regions has intensified, leading to a rise in illegal activities such as unauthorized mining and cross-border smuggling. To address these challenges, UNEP calls on countries to strengthen sand resource management, including establishing national resource inventories, improving monitoring systems, and treating sand as a strategically important resource. Meanwhile, promoting recycled concrete, alternative building materials, and more sustainable construction models is seen as a key direction for alleviating sand extraction pressure.
Currently, sand is still not classified as a critical strategic resource in many countries. Analysts of the report believe this indicates a lack of global awareness about this essential resource that underpins modern economic operations and its ecological value.
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