Curbing the great sand grab

According to the UN, up to 50 billion tonnes of sand a year is being mined, dredged and even stolen to satisfy the global appetite for infrastructure, and it’s disappearing faster than it can be replenished. As the FT’s Anjana Ahuja explains, the plunder cuts biodiversity, destroys fishing communities, and increases the risk of flooding. Curbing the problem could include improved governance or finding alternative materials, but there are no simple answers.