<
https://theconversation.com/roving-bandits-and-looted-coastlines-how-the-global-appetite-for-sand-is-fuelling-a-crisis-132412>
"Next to water, sand is our most consumed natural resource. The global
demand for sand and gravel stands between 40 billion and 50 billion
tonnes annually, according to the United Nations Environment Program
(UNEP), and its scarcity is an emerging global crisis.
The world may run out of sand if we do not start paying attention to
sand as a resource that needs research, management and governance.
The demand for sand is only expected to rise. Sand is also needed to
manufacture medical-grade glass vials, which are used to hold vaccines.
The industry already faced shortages even before researchers began
developing a coronavirus vaccine. And conflicts over sand are emerging
in Florida and other seemingly sand-rich areas."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://www.xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
http://www.glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
http://www.sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
