Using sand at a pace far faster than nature can replace it, booming demand for the world’s second most traded commodity has sent us borrowing into the future while sand mafias, pirates, and counterfeiters want to cash in on this lucrative business. Jorden Dye joins Kimberly as her new co-host to discuss the many uses for sand, the problems caused by extraction, and how to decarbonize the cement industry.
Key Topics
The many ways in which we’re surrounded by sand
How the demand for concrete and computer chips is depleting the Earth’s sand reserves
Where there’s demand, someone will find a way to meet it
How to prepare for trivia night by learning the difference between construction and silica sands
Where in the world sand comes from and where it’s going
Identifying sustainable strategies for the world’s voracious sand consumption
More on sand next week in Kimberly’s Substack follow-up post, Building Islands from the Sand
Recommended Resources
World Economic Forum 2023 Report
The NYT article Jorden mentioned in the episode: "How to Steal a River"
India’s sand mafias
All about concrete recycling
Decarbonizing cement
