The global “appetite” for sand, one of the most important but least valued raw materials in the world, is unlikely to subside in the near future, but the problem is that there is a shortage of it in the world.
This was reported by the CNBC channel with reference to the speech of climatologists during a webinar organized by the Chatham House think tank.
According to experts, this could be the greatest challenge of the 21st century.
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Pascal Peduzzi, climatologist at the UN Environment Program, explained that there is no need to panic, but the perception of sand needs to be changed.
“We never thought we would run out of sand, but it is starting in some places”
the TV channel quotes the climatologist.
He stressed that people think sand is everywhere. However, now we need to pay attention to what may happen in the next decades, otherwise, there will be interruptions in the supply of this resource. The climatologist explained that it is impossible to accurately track its global use, only indirectly, by assessing the correlation between the use of sand and cement.
The TV channel recalled that the global rate of use of this resource has tripled over the past two decades as a result of rapid urbanization. However, despite its seeming ubiquity, not all sand is suitable for construction.
For example, desert grains of sand are too smooth and round. At the same time, sand from the seabed, the coast, or from quarries and rivers is more angular, which allows them to adhere well to each other.
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Louise Gallagher, the head of the environmental leadership of the Global Sand Observatory Initiative from the UNEP/GRID-Geneva’ explained that the problems associated with it need to be addressed.