GreenWatch

B. McPherson Sand mafia are stealing people's homes Who would have thought that sand and gravel was in short supply around the globe? Aggregates are as common as dirt, right? Apparently not so and the UN Environmental Programme is sounding the alarm, saying that the extraction of aggregates at this pace is not sustainable. The extraction is also causing widespread environmental damage. Our modern world relies on the use of sand and gravel in many ways. As much as 59 billion tonnes of the material is mined every year. Sand is the result of millions of years of erosion and wearing away of bedrock. Gravel is just part way in that process. The trade in sand and gravel is a multibillion dollar business, estimated to be in excess of $18 billion each year. Sand mining is usually done as open pit. Sources for sand may be dunes, beaches, dredged from rivers and glacial deposits. The sand may contain valuable minerals that can be sifted out to use in the chemical industry. ...

B. McPherson The World Wildlife Fund has released its Living PlanetReport 2012 and it is warning humanity that something must be done soon to slow the pillaging of the Earth or we will need the equivalent of two Earths in less than 20 years. The natural resources of Earth are being used up faster than the natural systems can replace them. The trend in the decline of the Earth’s health is already evident in the loss of biodiversity, particularly in the tropical regions, but averages out at about 30% loss of species since 1970. While many might say no loss if a particular insect disappears, the loss of one species has impact on the viability of others. A basic tenet of ecology is “Everything is connected to everything else.” Poisoning of agricultural land and water coupled with poor husbandry has led to desertification and abandonment of farmland. Humans aid invasive species which upset the delicate balances of plants and animals in an area. Just this morning reports are...