The global sand mining industry removes around 50 billion metric tons of material each year, outpacing the rate at which sand replenishes through the slow geological processes of weathering, reports Mongabay’s Carolyn Cowan. According to a report by the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), the demand for sand is expected to grow by 45% by 2060 for the building sector alone. Pascal Peduzzi, director of UNEP’s GRID-Geneva program, described sand as the “unrecognized hero of development” in a press release. But he added that its role in sustaining biodiversity and vulnerable coastal communities is frequently overlooked. “Sand is our first line of defence against sea level rise, storm surges, and salination of coastal aquifers — all hazards exacerbated by climate change,” he said. The impacts of this unsustainable sand extraction are particularly visible in Southeast Asia, which serves as a global epicenter for supply and demand. The report highlights how large-scale land reclamations and urban development projects have led to irreversible river erosion, coastal degradation, and the loss of local livelihoods. In the Philippines, for example, dredging for a new airport displaced 700 families and damaged critical fishing grounds. Similarly, sand mining in the Mekong River has caused riverbank collapses and reduced wet-season flows into Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake. Despite these consequences, the UNEP report notes that governance of sand resources remains fragmented and driven by short-term economic gains while long-term environmental and social costs accumulate. The report calls for an overhaul of industry processes, urging governments to adopt “national and…This article was originally published on Mongabay

As millions of Muslims gather for the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, a new scientific analysis warned the “safe window” for the event is shrinking, with increased risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke due to human-induced climate change. The report was released by the World Weather Attribution (WWA), an initiative that analyses the role of climate change in extreme weather events. The Hajj follows the Islamic lunar calendar, which is 10-15 days shorter than the more commonly used solar Gregorian calendar. This means dates of the Hajj shift earlier each year. Historically, the month of May in Saudi Arabia had milder temperatures compared to the summer months of June to September. Researchers from the WWA found May temperatures in Mecca now mirror the intense summer heat typical of the 1980s. Climate change has led to average May temperatures in Mecca surging by roughly 3.5°Celsius (6.3°Fahrenheit) compared to a pre-industrial climate, before the accelerated release of human-triggered greenhouse gases. Peak temperatures for May are now about 2°C (3.6°F ) hotter. “Climate change has once again shown us that expectations based on a climate that no longer exists can be thrown out of the window,” report co-author Clair Barnes , a research associate at Imperial College London, said in a statement. “Our analysis shows very clearly that less of the year is now safe for the millions of Muslims who wish to undertake the Hajj.” The risks are acute for pilgrims who spend 20 to 30 hours outdoors, often walking long…This article was originally published on Mongabay

In what was described as the largest bear farm rescue in Southeast Asia, authorities in Laos in conjunction with the international NGO Free the Bears freed 27 Asiatic black bears from a foreign-owned illegal bear bile farm in Laos. All 27 rescued bears were transferred to the Luang Prabang Wildlife Sanctuary, operated by Free the Bears, the organization said in a press release. “No animal should endure such cruelty,” Matt Hunt, Free the Bears CEO, said in a statement. “And we’re so glad we can now bring these 27 bears to the safety of our sanctuary where they can join more than 150 other bears rescued over the past 23 years.” The NGO said the bear bile facility was owned and operated by a Chinese national and was registered as a zoo to evade regulatory oversight, while operating as a commercial bile extraction site. During the raid, rescuers discovered infrastructure designed to hold up to 200 bears, suggesting a planned industrial-scale expansion that was thwarted. The rescued bears, aged between 1 and 3, are believed to have been poached from the wild as cubs, the NGO said. Bear bile farms across Southeast Asia often keep Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus), sometimes referred to as moon bears, in tiny cages, where their bile is extracted from their gallbladders for use in traditional medicine. “However, much of the use of bear products appears to be based more on traditions and beliefs than on actual medicinal values,” Chris Shepherd, senior conservation advocate for…This article was originally published on Mongabay