As reported by the Daily Mail, the shortage is not only disrupting the production of billions of glass bottles the Covid-19 vaccine , but also disrupts the production of smartphones and office buildings.
Pascal Peduzzi, climate scientist at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), said we always thought sand was available in any area and never anticipated a shortage of such a source of raw material.
Also read: Increased Air Temperature, Earth Threatened Long Drought
“If we don’t look ahead, or don’t give any expectations, we will face a big problem regarding the world’s sand supply,” he said.
After water resources, sand is the world’s most widely used raw material for the production of glass, concrete, tar and silicon microchips.
The construction industry alone uses 50 billion tonnes of sand a year and demand will soar as the world needs two billion glass bottles over the next two years when the Covid-19 vaccine is distributed.
According to UNEP, this translates to a 300 percent increase over the last 20 years and requires every river on the planet for two years to replace it.
“This trend is expected to continue as demand continues to increase as a result of the impact urbanization, population growth and infrastructure development, “he said.
(wbs)
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