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The Deadly Global War for Sand
Article

The Deadly Global War for Sand

Vince Beiser
Wired, 2015
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Eloquent

Recommendation

The push to build bigger, better cities around the world has created a global black market for a surprising construction component: sand. Award-winning freelance journalist Vince Beiser takes readers inside the world of illegal sand mining and explores how sand mining has negatively affected people and environments in many countries, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. He explains why it’s so difficult to put a stop to unlawful practices. getAbstract recommends this article to political leaders, environmentalists and all those involved in the construction industry.

Take-Aways

  • Besides air and water, humans use sand more than any other resource on Earth. As global development continues, the demand for sand is exceeding readily available supplies.
  • Sand mining can pollute air and water and otherwise damage ecosystems in catastrophic ways.
  • The demand for sand has led to the proliferation of “sand mafias.”

About the Author

Vince Beiser is an award-winning freelance journalist who has written for Wired, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, Harper’s and The Atlantic. He has also been a senior editor for Mother Jones.

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