The world is not running out of every kind of sand everywhere. The conflict is over rising demand for usable sand and gravel—and the damage that can follow when material is taken from rivers, coasts, and marine ecosystems faster than those places can sustain it.
Why sand has become a global resource conflict
Sand and gravel are foundational materials for construction and infrastructure. But sand is not a uniform, interchangeable commodity: where it is found, its properties, and its role in the surrounding ecosystem all matter. Material extracted from a functioning river or coast is not simply an unused stockpile; it can be part of the natural systems that support water, wildlife, and protection from hazards. UNEP’s April 2026 report frames the issue as a competition between infrastructure demand and the value of sand left in nature.
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UNEP’s 2026 press release puts the tension plainly: “Demand therefore exists for sand in both its ‘dead’ and ‘alive’ states, but these uses are in direct competition.” The phrase describes two uses of the resource, not a literal division between lifeless and living grains. Sand used as a building material serves one purpose; sand in active ecosystems also supports ecological processes and human communities.
How much sand is being used—and what the figures mean
The figures commonly cited are estimates published in different years, not a single consistent time series. UNEP’s 2019 release put global demand for sand and gravel at 40–50 billion tonnes per year and said demand had tripled over the preceding two decades. That tripling is a retrospective statement in the 2019 release, not a current growth rate.
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In 2022, UNEP described annual use as 50 billion tons of sand and gravel. That is a rounded figure from the 2022 release, and the available figures do not provide enough methodological detail to reconcile it with the 2019 estimate as a precise year-by-year trend. Separately, UNEP’s 2026 release forecasts that demand for sand for buildings will rise by 45% by 2060. That is a projection, not a measured increase to date.
These numbers point to immense demand, but they do not prove that the planet is running out of every kind of sand. The more precise concern is that demand can exceed the supply that can be extracted responsibly in particular places, or that available material may not be suitable for a given use. UNEP and the University of Geneva’s 2019 report warned that supplying the needs of a world of 10 billion people from terrestrial, riverine, and marine environments requires effective policy, planning, regulation, and management.
Why extraction can harm ecosystems and livelihoods
The effects depend on the location, the amount removed, and the ecosystem involved. Sand and gravel in rivers, coastal areas, and marine environments can play active roles in maintaining those systems. Removing material can therefore cause more than a change in the landscape.
- River and water impacts: UNEP’s 2019 release linked river aggregate extraction with pollution, flooding, lower water aquifers, and worsening drought occurrence. The 2022 release also identifies erosion and the salination of aquifers among the risks associated with extraction where sand supports ecosystem function.
- Coastal exposure: Removing beach sand can reduce natural protection against storm surges. UNEP’s 2022 release identifies lost storm-surge protection as a risk; its 2019 release also describes beach sand removal as a threat to local tourism.
- Biodiversity and food: UNEP’s 2022 release lists biodiversity effects among the potential impacts. Its 2019 release describes extraction from rivers and mangroves reducing crab populations, affecting women who depend on crab collection for livelihoods.
- Wider local economies: Damage to water supplies, fisheries, food production, tourism, and other livelihoods can follow when ecosystems are degraded. These are risks, not consequences that occur at every extraction site.
UNEP’s 2026 release adds a warning about dredging in protected areas: it says about half of dredging companies are operating within Marine Protected Areas, accounting for 15% of the volume dredged. This figure concerns dredging and should not be read as a measure of all sand extraction worldwide.
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Why the issue crosses borders
Sand extraction and its effects are often governed locally, but the material supply chain and ecological consequences do not necessarily stop at a jurisdictional boundary. UNEP’s 2019 account notes that restrictions on extraction, international sourcing for land reclamation, and impacts beyond national borders can make sand governance a transboundary issue.
That creates a practical challenge: a country or region may restrict extraction in one place while demand is met by material sourced elsewhere, with different rules and consequences. The 2019 UNEP release argues that standards and best practices need to reflect national circumstances while improving measurement, monitoring, planning, transparency, and accountability across the value chain. The global summaries do not establish the facts of particular disputes or support broad allegations about named companies or groups.
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What can reduce the pressure
UNEP’s recommendations combine better management of extraction with reducing demand for newly sourced material. No single alternative is established as the best choice for every construction use or market.
- Map and monitor ecosystems: UNEP’s 2026 release calls for better data, mapping, and monitoring to identify areas of high ecological value and assess cumulative impacts—not just the effect of one project in isolation.
- Make decisions and money flows visible: The 2026 release calls for transparency in extraction permits, project approvals, and financing flows, alongside governance coordinated across sectors and scales.
- Plan extraction over the long term: UNEP’s 2019 recommendations include improved measurement, monitoring, and planning, with rules adapted to local geography and governance.
- Use less newly extracted material: The 2026 report includes demand reduction and circularity among its strategic actions. Reusing material can reduce pressure on natural sources, although the available summaries do not quantify how much demand it can displace.
- Consider other material sources: UNEP’s 2022 release identifies recycled construction and demolition material, crushed rock, and ore-sand from mining tailings as possible alternatives. They are options, not proven drop-in replacements for every application.
Choosing among sources requires more than comparing their availability. Suitability for the intended construction use, lifecycle environmental effects, ecological sensitivity, transport distance, impacts on local livelihoods, supply-chain transparency, and the ability to monitor and enforce standards all matter. The UNEP sources call for these kinds of ecological, social, technical, and governance considerations; they do not provide a universal scorecard ranking the alternatives.
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What “running out of sand” gets wrong
The phrase can make the problem sound like a single global inventory is disappearing. That is not what the evidence establishes. There are multiple kinds of sand and gravel, different sources, and sharply different consequences depending on where material is taken. The central issue is whether societies can meet construction demand without degrading the natural systems and local economies that depend on sand remaining in place.
UNEP’s 2019 report described sand and gravel as “the unrecognised foundational material of our economies.” The conflict is getting ugly when short-term material demand is allowed to override the ecological functions, water security, and livelihoods that are also part of the resource’s value.
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