Sand : rarer than one thinks · ©"Pascal"Peduzzi,"2015"2"Sand":"Rarer"than"one"thinks" Glaciers & rivers move 24 billions tonnes per year Humans are extracting and moving btw 47

© Pascal Peduzzi, 2015 -‐ Sand : Rarer than one thinks

Sand : rarer than one thinks

Dr Pascal Peduzzi Director of Science

United Na@ons Environment Programme Geneva November 2015


Glaciers & rivers move 24 billions tonnes per year


Humans are extracting and moving btw 47 and 59 billions tonnes per year (2009)


0

500'000

1'000'000

1'500'000

2'000'000

2'500'000

3'000'000

3'500'000

4'000'000

1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014

World

China

All other countries

1000 Ton

s of cem

ent / year

60 %

China uses more in 4 years than USA in one century Cement :

4’180’000’000 x 7 = …


30 billions t. of sand & gravels (2014)

•  Equivalent to a wall of 20 m x 20 m around the equator !

20 m

20 m


What are we doing with sand ?


Roads


Buildings

828 m


Dams


Glass


Electronics and other industrial uses


Land reclamation

2001 2011


Land reclamation


Beach nourishment


Where is it from ?


Where is it from ?


Quarries


What are the impacts ?

•  Impacts on landscape •  Lowering the ground •  Lost of soil


River beds


•  Pollu@on and changes in levels of pH •  Lateral instability •  Can change the riverbed itself •  Incision can drain to a lower level resul@ng in reduced aquifer storage

•  May increase flood frequency and intensity by reducing flood regula@on

•  Can lower the water table, thus exacerba@ng drought occurrence.

Impacts from river extrac@on.


Lake shores


Lake Poyang, the largest source of sand in China: 236 million m3 / year


Coastal and beach


•  Erosion occurs either directly or indirectly •  Reduce protec@on from storm surge •  Destroy habitat from beach fauna (e.g. turtles, crabs,…)

•  Reduce protec@on from sea level rise

Impacts from coastal extrac@on.


Marin sand dredging


Impacts from Marin extrac@on


Impacts from Marin extrac@on

•  On seabed flora and fauna •  Destroys organisms, habitats and ecosystems •  Affects the composi@on of biodiversity •  Usually leading to a net decline in faunal biomass and abundance

•  Or a shih in species composi@on •  Too fine par@cles are rejected by dredging boats… changing water turbidity.


Once trapped into concrete, the sand is lost.


Impacts(on! Description!

Biodiversity! Impacts(on(related(ecosystems(services((e.g.(fisheries)(

Land(losses! Both(inland(and(coastal(through(erosion(processes(

Hydrological(function! Change(in(water(flows,(flood(regulation,(or(on(marine(currents(

Water(supply! Through(both(lowering(of(the(water(table(and(pollution(

Infrastructures(! Damage(to(bridges,(river(embankments(and(coastal(infrastructures(

Climate! Directly(through(transport(emissions,(indirectly(through(cement(production(

Landscape! Coastal((e.g.(beach)(erosion,(quarries,(pollution(of(rivers(

Extreme(events! Decline(of(protection(against(extreme(events((flood,(drought,(storm(surge)(

!


SOLUTIONS ? We need : •  Monitoring •  New legisla@ons •  Op@mize the use of exis@ng buildings and infrastructures

•  Incen@ves (taxes and subven@ons)

•  Recycling concrete and glass •  Use ashes from wastes •  Building with alterna@ve material

•  Sound environmental impacts assessment prior mining, quarrying and land reclama@ons be authorized.


Linear economy

Mines Industry Consumers Waste / Dump


Circular economy

Industry Consumers

Waste as resource


Sand : rarer than one thinks www.grid.unep.ch

Sand : rarer than one thinks · ©"Pascal"Peduzzi,"2015"2"Sand":"Rarer"than"one"thinks" Glaciers & rivers move 24 billions tonnes per year Humans are extracting and moving btw 47

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