Sand mining is the second most widespread human activity in marine environments after fishing. In fact, sand is second only to water as a natural resource used by humans. Currently, around 40 billion tons of sand is mined every year. The greatest use for sand is as a component of concrete, mortar, asphalt, and fill. But sand is also used for manufacturing glass, silicon chips for electronics, and metal castings, as well as for filtration, landscaping, and abrasives. Sand is a cornerstone of modern society.
While it may seem like there is an inexhaustible supply of sand in the world, the truth is that there is a shortage. One might think that with places like the Sahara Desert, there is all the sand that one could ever need. But for most applications, desert sand is of no use. The grains of sands in the desert are too smooth and too rounded from eons of erosion.
Sand is being mined in larger quantities than ever before, driving a global market measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Best estimates are that only 37.5% of the sand pulled from the earth is mined legally. The rest comes from an illegal economy often called the sand mafia. Criminal groups in Morocco, Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, Mexico, and especially India ignore permitting and local regulations and pillage sand from rivers and coastal communities. Bands of criminals corrupt local politicians and are willing to kidnap, injure, and even kill people to get more sand.
The world is running out of sand and sand crime is rampant.
