Shifting Sands (Singapore, Malaysia, China, 2017 – on-going)
The world is running out of sand. It seems counter-intuitive but sand, besides air and water, is our most used commodity. The insatiable demand for this non-renewable resource has led to environmental impact where it’s mined and to mafias driving the lucrative business.
The global depletion of sand is driven by rapid urbanisation — especially in China and other parts of Asia — and land reclamation. Singapore, where I’m from, is the world’s largest importer of sand per capita. It has reclaimed almost a quarter of its territory over the last 60 years.
The story of sand is, to me, that of the global income gap writ large: wealthy states buy up land from their poorer neighbours and move it to where they want it.
I’m mapping and researching this on-going project on this looming global problem.
Singapore, 2017
Singapore, 2017
Singapore, 2017
Singapore, 2017
Vietnam, 2017
China, 2013
Singapore, 2017
Malaysia, 2017
Singapore, 2017
Singapore, 2017
Malaysia, 2017
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This multi-country project has been supported by Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, and the Exactly Foundation.