When Will We Run Out of Sand?
There are no firm estimates for when we will run out sand if things continue at their current rate, and most of the estimates we do have are regional. For example, it is estimated that Vietnam could run out of sand within the next few years, whereas the average guess for the rest of the world is closer to the year 2050.
Further complicating the issue is importation. For example, Dubai imports a lot of sand from Australia. This also serves to illustrate the above point about desert sand not being suitable for use in concrete. Dubai features some of the most impressive buildings in the world, but despite being surrounded by endless stretches of sand, they import sand from other parts of the world.
Why Are We Using So Much Concrete?
The answer to this question is far more complex than we will be able to do justice to here, but in short; people. The population of our species has grown exponentially to the point where we are expected to have reached around nine billion living human beings within the next two decades. Compounding this problem of overpopulation is the fact that most of the people are or will be city-dwellers, which means an increasing demand for those concrete structures.
It’s worth noting that, even if those additional people did not want to become city-dwellers, they will be somewhat limited in options. Nature is critical to our survival as a species, and it has been fighting something of a losing battle against human expansion since we learned to chop trees down. However, as the population continues to grow, those areas of nature are going to become increasingly important, for their oxygen, for the food they grow, and even for their natural beauty, which will be increasingly coveted as city-life becomes ever more the norm.
Final Thoughts
The idea of running out of any natural resource—particularly one as seemingly abundant as sand—is understandably a scary thought. Unfortunately, it’s one we are going to have to confront in the coming decades. For many people reading this post, it is entirely possible you will be alive to witness a time when are out of practical sources of natural sand to use in construction.
That being said, construction will not just stop once we have depleted our natural sources of sand—we will not just run out of concrete. Manufactured sand, though more expensive, is a perfectly viable replacement, and right now, the only tangible downside to using manufactured sand is that the cost of construction may go up.
Still, a slightly more expensive home is better than no home at all.
And, of course, using manufactured sand allows us to get the construction materials we need without damaging the food chain by hoovering up the sea bed!
