
World's beaches disappearing due to climate crisis – study - vanusa
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/02/world-sandy-beaches-disappearing-due-to-climate-crisis-study
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tannerbrockwell
Actually no. In 2015 and 2018 this was documented to be due to widespread
illegal sand mining operations off the coasts of the world. Dredgers will
scoop out sand offshore, and the dynamics of the coastal beaches, is that the
onshore sand is sucked out to fill that void! Bingo instant erosion. People
covering this have been murdered, this is a criminal mafia that is ruthless in
exploiting this resource.

"[...] sand miners are turning to the seas, where thousands of ships now
vacuum up huge amounts of the stuff from the ocean floor. As you might expect,
all this often wreaks havoc on rivers, deltas, and marine ecosystems. Sand
mines in the US are blamed for beach erosion, water and air pollution, and
other ills, from the California coast to Wisconsin’s lakes." 2015 [1]

"Why buy expensive sand, sourced from licensed mines, when you can anchor your
dredger in some remote estuary, blast the sand out of the riverbed with a
water jet and suck it up? Or steal a beach? Or dismantle an entire island? Or
whole groups of islands? This is what the “sand mafias” do. Criminal
enterprises, their illegal mining operations in Asia, Africa and elsewhere,
are protected by officials and police paid to look the other way – and
powerful customers in the construction industry who prefer not to ask too many
questions." 2018 [2]

[1] [https://www.wired.com/2015/03/illegal-sand-
mining/](https://www.wired.com/2015/03/illegal-sand-mining/) [2]
[https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/jul/01/riddle-of-
the...](https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/jul/01/riddle-of-the-sands-
the-truth-behind-stolen-beaches-and-dredged-islands)

