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The next conflicts will be fought over sand
Sand is the most consumed natural resource behind air and water. It’s used in almost every sector, from construction materials ie. concrete & glass to tech ie. silicon chips. Whilst patches of fertile land across the world are degrading into deserts (desertification), the world is running out of sand for human activities. Here’s why: 👇👇
Rough Grains:
The Sahara is huge, that’s tons of sand, isn’t it? Yes, but that’s the wrong kind of sand. We use water-eroded sand ie. from rivers and seas, which have rougher edges, better for industrial use. The smooth edges in wind-eroded desert sand don’t bind well and crumbles easily. The only thing desert sand could be used to build are sandcastles. Hence, Dubai imports sand from Australia for its megaprojects despite being in a desert, ironic right? Marine sand is the right kind, but it must be washed with freshwater to get rid of its salt content. River sand is ideal, but like marine sand, mining it in large quantities cause environmental damage and habitat loss.
Rough Relations:
Singapore is stockpiling sand as a strategic reserve like oil and gas as a bargaining chip in the future. One of the most powerful crime syndicates in India are the Sand Mafia. They mine and traffic sand illegally from rivers to be sold on the black market. Marine sand mining also results in the loss of land/islands. Indonesia lost 25 small islands while exporting sand to Singapore, leading to border demarcation disputes.
Besides the tremendous environmental hazards, the increasing scarcity of sand could become a catalyst for geopolitical strife. Finite resources generate infinite conflicts. We need to re-evaluate how we use resources or else our dependence on sand for the modern world may be how we crumble.
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