Media outlets, citing a speech by climate scientists during a webinar organized by the Chatham House Research Foundation, pointed to the greatest challenge facing humanity in the twenty-first century.
Pascal Biduzzi, a climate scientist at the United Nations Environment Program, said, according to CNBC, that there is no need to panic, but the concept of sand, one of the most important and least valuable raw materials in the world, must be changed.
Bedouzi stressed that people think that sand is everywhere. However, we now need to pay attention to what may happen in the coming decades, otherwise there will be interruptions in the supply of this resource.
The climate scientist explained that it is impossible to accurately track its global use, only indirectly, by assessing the relationship between sand and cement use.
CNBC indicated in its report that the global rate of use of this resource has tripled during the past two decades as a result of rapid urbanization. However, despite its ubiquitous appearance, not all sand is suitable for construction. For example, the grains of desert sand are very soft and round. At the same time, sand from the sea floor, the coast or from quarries and rivers is more angular, which allows them to stick well together.
Louise Gallagher, head of environmental leadership for the Global Sand Watch initiative, noted that the associated problems need to be addressed.
source: sputnik