The World Is Running Out of Sand - Wyatt

Wyatt Quillin

Mr. Roddy

IHSS

16 May 2022

We Are Running Out of Sand!

    As a planet, we use around 50 billion metric tons of sand every year. It is the second most used natural resource in the world, behind water. We use sand for pretty much everything, from construction to glass, to silicon. As our dire need for sand increases, the amount of sand left decreases. sand is technically a non-renewable resource, and we are burning through it. This increasing reliability of sand has had serious negative effects on environments around the world. Riverbeds and beaches have been drained of their sand and even some islands in the Pacific Ocean along the coast of Asia. This is problematic as sand acts as a natural mitigator of storm surges and is a natural habitat for a multitude of different species. Because sand is currently unregulated, it can be taken from pretty much anywhere, and sensitive areas suffer due to the aggressive harvesting process. There are some alternatives to sand including crushed rock, ore-sand, or leftover materials from past construction projects. Interestingly, organized crime has started to seep into the world of sand as it is becoming rarer and rarer which adds to the amount of unregulated sand being used. This is a crisis that isn't known about by many, but as sand shortage starts to affect us through the many day-to-day products it's used for, we will be in for a rude awakening. 


https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a39880899/earth-is-running-out-of-sand/ 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Marcel Mauss - blogger

  Claire Thacker  Mr. Roddy  IHSS  Date  Marcel Mauss Marcel Mauss was a sociologist and anthropologist. He was born May 10, 1972, and died February 10, 1950. One of his accomplishments is an original study of the relation between forms of exchange and social structure. Mauss’s views on the method/theory of ethnology are thought to have shaped the thoughts of many famous social scientists. His career started as a professor of primitive religion in 1902 at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris. He also taught at College de France and established the ethnology institute of the University of Paris. Essai Sur le don , also known as The Gift,  is thought to be his most influential work. The Gift is an essay Mauss wrote about how human relationships are formed through the exchange of objects between groups. The Gift also talked about what part of giving a gift does it mean that you have to give something back. The answer according to Mauss in his writin...
Read more

The Tipping Point Sociology Blog

Wyatt Quillin  Mr. Roddy IHSS 27 September 2021 The Tipping Point     The tipping point is the point where something becomes immensely popular and spreads across a society. This something can be anything from a pair of shoes to a dance move to a hairstyle, and there are a couple of variables that are necessary to the success of the something. According to Malcolm Gladwell, the writer of the book The Tipping Point , the three components that determine whether something will reach its tipping point are the law of the few, the stickiness factor, and the power of context. The law of the few relies on the select people who are able to use their special social traits to help spread information and influence. Again according to Gladwell, the three types of people are the salesmen, mavens, and connectors. Salesmen are naturally very convincing and can easily persuade people. Connectors are very popular and connected to lots of different influential people. Connectors can easily s...
Read more

Sociology Reading Blog (The Culture of Fear)

 Ethan Zweig Mr. Roddy IHSS September 27, 2021 "The Culture of Fear"     "The Culture of Fear" was written in 1999 by Barry Glassner, who was a sociology professor at USC. The book explains who Americans are so engrossed with "fear of wrong things". Glassner examines and exposes the people who manipulate Americans perceptions profit from the often baseless anxieties they cultivate and encourage. Three out of four Americans say they feel more more fearful than they did a decade ago. Culture of fear is the concept that people incite fear in the general public to achieve political or workplace goals through emotional bias. Barry Glassner found out that no amount of debunking can wipeout fear. 
Read more