Episode 56 - Beneath the Paving Stones, the Beach

Beneath our paving stones, paved roads, walls, windows, computers, industry, and more, is a collection of hard material no larger than a speck. Sand is the fundamental building block of modern civilization, mined and extracted more than any other natural resource after water, and this fact should give us pause. Where does all this sand come from in the first place? What are the environmental consequences of sand mining? Most importantly, what happens when access to this most basic component of modern life begins to run out? Our modern civilization may pass, like sand through an hour glass.

Full transcript available

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Chapters

  • 02:42 Why Sand?
  • 03:31 What is Sand and Where is it?
  • 08:40 Why do we care about sand?
  • 16:09 Some History
  • 20:59 Economics of Sand Scarcity
  • 28:05 Destructive nature of Sand Extraction
  • 39:07 Sand Mafias
  • 48:06 Tragedy of the Unmanaged Commons
  • 58:50 The Best of Times?

Recommended Reading

Sources

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Published 10-01-2019 3:01