The world is running out of sand.

According an article from Mental Floss (We’re Running Out of Sand), the world is depleting this valuable resource which is essential for construction world-wide. One would think that with all the deserts, there would be enough sand for an infinite number of buildings, but the article is quick to note that desert sand is too fine and cannot be used for most construction projects.

Also keep in mind that when we do take sand from riverbanks, beaches and digging in the earth, we are usually tampering with ecosystems upon which we and our planet depend. Many scientists believe that we are already at the beginning of the Sixth Mass Extinction caused primarily by such human activity.

What can go wrong? Watch the video below!

Stanford researcher warns of sixth mass extinction.

Related to the Video:

“Published on Jun 19, 2015

There is no longer any doubt: We are entering a mass extinction that threatens humanity’s existence. That is the bad news at the center of a new study by a group of scientists including Paul Ehrlich, the Bing Professor of Population Studies in biology and a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Ehrlich and his co-authors call for fast action to conserve threatened species, populations and habitat, but warn that the window of opportunity is rapidly closing. Read more: http://stanford.io/1RgQBMj”

If this is a topic in which you are interested, I can highly recommend an intriguing book:

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
by Elizabeth Kolbert

The book is spellbinding because of the gravity of its message, but Elizabeth Kolbert is capable of putting it all in perspective in interesting and sometimes amusing ways. She clearly points out the follies of humankind as she explains how human activity, in the briefest of scientific time spans, has changed the earth’s ecology to the detriment of all living things.