글로벌 모래 채굴: 환경과 생계에 미치는 영향

### 글로벌 모래 위기: 지속 불가능한 채굴 관행과 환경 영향
* 🏗 모래는 세계에서 가장 많이 채굴되는 재료로, **콘크리트에 사용되는 모래의 60%는 카메룬과 같은 강바닥에서 채굴**됩니다.
* 🌍 지난 20년 동안 전 세계 모래 수요는 **3배로 증가**했으며, 이로 인해 자연 보충량을 초과하는 지속 불가능한 채굴 속도로 이어지고 있습니다.
* 💰 카메룬의 요나 엘비스와 같은 광부들은 부상이나 사망에 대한 공식 기록이 없는 위험한 환경에서 **일당 12달러 정도의 적은 임금**을 받으며 일하고 있습니다.
* 🌊 중국과 캄보디아 같은 국가에서 과도한 모래 채굴로 인해 **호수가 확장되고 해안 침식**이 일어나는 등 환경 피해가 발생하고 있습니다.
* 🇮🇳 인도에서는 급속한 도시화로 인해 모래 수요가 증가하면서 **수질과 어류 개체수에 해를 끼치는 불법 채굴**이 성행하고 있습니다.
* 🏗 ️ 일부 기업은 보다 지속 가능한 대안으로 **제조된 모래로 전환**하고 있지만, 이 과정에는 환경적인 단점도 있습니다.
* 🌍 전 세계 건설용 모래 시장은 **2022년 230억 달러 규모**였으며 **2031년에는 465억 달러에 달할 것**으로 예상됩니다.
* 😢 환경 및 건강상의 위험에도 불구하고 **카메룬의 은콩 진 시몬과 같은 많은 광부들**은 경제적 중요성 때문에 이 일을 계속하고 있습니다.

특히 강바닥에서 채굴하는 모래의 수요가 3배로 증가하면서 아프리카와 아시아에서 환경 파괴를 일으키고 광부들의 생명을 위협하고 있습니다.

Narrator: Sand is the most mined material in the world. And in this part of Africa, miners like Yona Elvis dive up to 300 times a day, wearing little to no clothes, scooping out buckets that are 33 pounds. Narrator: 60% of the sand used in concrete around the world comes from riverbeds like this one in Cameroon. And global demand for it has tripled in the last two decades. Satellite images from China show how it has changed the shape of a major body of water. And now experts say sand is being extracted much faster than it can be naturally replaced. So, how can the world avoid a sand crisis? And what does it mean for people like Elvis who rely on it to survive? Yona Elvis' home in southwestern Cameroon is made from the same sand he mines every day. He lives with his family and pet monkey, Curtis. Narrator: His home is just a short walk away

from the river quarry. There, he meets up with
his diving partner, Njombe. They can look out for each
other in case of emergencies. Narrator: The Wouri is one
of Cameroon's largest rivers, flowing for nearly 100 miles. It's known as the river of prawns, but fishermen are seeing a
decline due to sand mining. Once they reach the deepest part, Njombe pushes the stick into the ground to anchor the boat. Elvis jumps in wearing
nothing but skin-tight shorts to swim more easily in the water. Then he uses a steel bucket to scoop up sand from the river floor. The water is so murky,
Elvis can't see anything, even if he wore goggles. Narrator: After 12 years, he says he's mastered the
art of controlling his breath and conserving his energy. Narrator: Elvis and Njombe take turns scooping out
water that fills the canoe.

After two hours of diving and dumping, their exhaustion begins to show. Locals say deaths are common here, but because this is an unregulated profession, there are no official records on injuries or fatalities. Elvis nearly drowned once while helping a new diver. Narrator: By the end of Elvis' four-hour shift, he's excavated 9 tons of wet sand. That's equal to the weight of two African elephants. His boss, who owns the canoe, will sell this sand to local contractors and pay each of them about $12 a day. It's more than Elvis can make from fishing, but it's barely enough to afford three meals a day. Elvis and his family of four scrape by on this salary. Narrator: But some people are in the line of work for other reasons, like miner Nkong Jean Simon, who views it as a sport. He competes in local sand-mining tournaments.

and says he's earned
the title of champion. Narrator: Nkong spends 30
minutes exercising every morning, and even runs to the quarry. His role model is Africa's first heavyweight UFC
champion, Francis Ngannou. Today, he's seen as a
local hero in this region, someone who escaped a life of poverty to become one of the best
MMA fighters in the world. Narrator: Meanwhile,
Nkong continues to plunge 23 feet underwater to test his strength and earn enough cash for
him, his wife, and two kids. Some of the sand is exported
to countries like South Africa, the Central African
Republic, and even France. But as Cameroon is in the
midst of a construction boom, most of the sand is used
locally to make concrete. Demand for sand across the world has reached 50 billion tons per year, enough to build a nine-story
wall around the planet. The kind found in
riverbeds comes from rocks

that broke apart over millions of years as they traveled downstream. The coarse leftover grains are sharper and can carry more
moisture than desert sand, which makes them the
perfect binding material for construction. In 2022, the global market
for construction sand was worth about $23 billion. It is expected to grow to $46.5 billion by 2031. The United States is the
world's top producer, while China is the
biggest consumer of sand, but it also produces its own. Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province is the biggest sand mine on the planet. Satellite images show just how much excavation has changed the northern branch of the country's largest freshwater lake, more than doubling its surface
area from 1997 to 2019. The lake is also a key flood
outlet for the Yangtze River and its tributaries, all of
which are mined excessively too. All this mining is causing
water levels in the lake

to fall abnormally during winter months, endangering aquatic animals like porpoises and populations of migratory birds. Other countries have similar problems. In Cambodia's Mekong River, barges scrape out more sand
than can be naturally replaced. This kind of large-scale dredging caused riverbanks to
collapse twice in 2021. Pascal: The river becomes deeper, and the way that the river will flow will either be faster or slower depending on how the shape is affected. And that has consequences on river flows and on potential flooding or drought. Narrator: Dams upstream
have also reduced the flow of sediment to the lower
part of the Mekong. Experts say mining is also to blame for erosion along Cambodia's coastline. Pascal: Anything that we
take out of the environment has an impact. If you take the sand from rivers, that sand will not reach the coastline, so eventually it will
lead to coastal erosion. Narrator: Mining is also taking a toll

on local fishing villages. Tin Yusos lives on a boat with
his wife and granddaughter. He makes a living fishing in the nearby Tonlé Sap and Mekong rivers. But he says work is tough lately because all the dredging has
disrupted the fish supply. Narrator: And because of
the receding water levels, his livelihood is at stake. Narrator: But here in Cambodia's capital, sand is fueling a housing boom. Since 2003, developers have filled in 60% of Phnom Penh lakes with sand to create prime real estate
for villas and shopping malls. But people who have lived and worked on these lakes
for decades now face eviction as trucks full of sand and gravel get closer and closer to their homes. Cambodia also exports sand. UN data for the past decade shows the country sent $27 million worth to countries like Singapore,
Thailand, and China. Rapid urbanization around the world is what's driving up demand.

In India, 25 to 30 people are migrating every minute from rural areas to cities. By 2030, the country's urban population is likely to reach 600 million, and they will all need housing. So India is excavating sand too. Here, miners extract it from the Beki River using basic equipment. It's polluting the water and destroying riverbeds and fish populations. But for some, mining for sand is as valuable as finding gold, and many work illegally in dangerous conditions because the money is worth it. They can earn up to $15 for a boatload of sand, which is four times the average daily wage in India. Now sand is being mined faster than it can be replaced through natural geological processes. So some companies are now manufacturing it to help reduce the impact on rivers and lakes. They crush bedrock, often from old construction sites or demolition waste. This creates particles about the same size as sand.

They're filtered and washed to remove impurities like silt or clay, which can damage concrete. That's why experts say manufactured sand is even better than natural sand for building. But crushing and grinding M-sand can pollute surrounding soil and water. And it's more cost-effective because it's often produced closer to construction sites, bringing down the cost of transportation. But back in Cameroon, people still continue to mine from riverbeds. Narrator: After a long day of work, his muscles are sore, so he kicks back and relaxes with his colleagues at the local bar. Narrator: And he brightens up when he thinks about what really motivates him to do this work.

Why Sand Divers Risk Their Lives 300 Times A Day For The World's Most Mined Resource

What you want to know about business. 

Visit our homepage for the top stories of the day: https://www.businessinsider.com 
Business Insider on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/businessinsider
Business Insider on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insiderbusiness
Business Insider on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/businessinsider
Business Insider on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/Business_Insider/5319643143
Business Insider on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessinsider

If you have a permissions or licensing request, please connect with our partners at PARS International who will be able to provide you with an accurate quote for the overall usage rights that you’re interested in. A representative from PARS will contact you shortly after filling out this request form: https://www.parsintl.com/publications/insider/


Business Insider

아프리카에서 모래 채굴이 미치는 영향

아프리카, 특히 카메룬의 모래 채굴은 전 세계적으로 급증하는 수요로 인해 환경적, 사회적 문제를 야기하는 중요한 시점에 와 있습니다.

요나 엘비스와 같은 광부들은 생계를 위해 모래에 의존하면서 모래 자원이 급속히 고갈되는 문제에 직면해 있습니다.

채굴 활동은 지역 강 생태계에 영향을 미칠 뿐만 아니라 어부들의 생계도 위험에 빠뜨리고 있습니다.

카메룬의 모래 채굴은 규제가 없는 위험한 직업으로, 부상과 사망자가 빈번하게 발생하지만 공식적인 기록은 없습니다.

엘비스와 같은 광부들은 오랜 시간 동안 모래를 채굴하여 겨우 가족을 부양할 수 있을 만큼만 벌고 있습니다.

반면 광부 은콩 진 사이먼은 모래 채굴을 스포츠이자 가족을 부양할 수 있는 수단으로 여기며, 그 성과로 지역 영웅의 지위까지 얻었습니다.

전 세계적인 건설 붐으로 인해 모래 수요는 엄청나게 많으며, 대부분의 모래는 현지에서 콘크리트를 만드는 데 사용됩니다.

건설 모래 채굴이 전 세계에 미치는 영향

전 세계 건설용 모래 시장은 2022년 230억 달러 규모였으며 2031년에는 465억 달러에 달할 것으로 예상됩니다.

미국은 최대 생산국이며, 중국은 최대 소비국이자 최대 모래 광산도 보유하고 있습니다.

특히 고양호의 모래 채굴은 경관을 급격하게 변화시키고 수위를 떨어뜨려 야생 동물을 위협하고 있습니다.

또한 메콩강과 같은 강에서 대규모 준설로 인해 강둑 붕괴와 해안 침식이 발생하여 강 흐름과 환경에 영향을 미치고 있습니다.

모래 채굴이 어촌과 도시화에 미치는 영향

모래 채굴은 캄보디아의 어류 공급을 방해하고 어촌 마을의 생계를 위협하고 있습니다.

급속한 도시화로 인한 도시 지역의 모래 수요 급증으로 호수가 메워지고 오랜 기간 거주하던 주민들이 쫓겨나고 있습니다.

캄보디아와 인도와 같은 국가에서 지속 불가능한 모래 채굴로 인해 환경이 파괴되고 사람들이 위험한 환경에서 귀중한 자원을 얻기 위해 일하고 있습니다.

건축용 모래는 순도가 높고 건설 현장과 가깝기 때문에 천연 모래보다 제조 모래를 선호합니다.

그러나 제조 모래를 만드는 과정에서 토양과 수질 오염이 발생할 수 있습니다.

카메룬과 같은 일부 지역에서는 제조 모래의 장점에도 불구하고 여전히 강바닥에서 자연 모래를 채굴하는 관행이 계속되고 있습니다.