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It’s time we talk about a new global crisis: the Sand crisis.
是时候谈论新的全球危机了：沙危机。
And no, I’m not talking about the frustration from getting sand out of your underpants after a day at the beach.
不不不，我说的可不是大家在沙滩上玩了一天之后抖内裤上的沙子时那种挫折感。
For most of us, that’s the limit of our experience with sand:
虽然，对我们大多数人来说，那已经是我们所感受到的沙子的极限了：
it’s at the beach, we maybe make a castle out of it, it clings to things, and then we go home.
就是在沙滩上，可以把它堆成一座城堡，会沾得到处都是，然后玩完之后我们就回家的那种沙。
Few of us stop to think about the role sand plays in our daily lives.
很少有人会停下来思考沙对我们日常生活的影响。
Sand is used to make glass, electronics, and in fracking.
沙子可以用来制作玻璃和电子产品，在水力压裂法中也会用到。
Huge quantities of sand have been dumped into the sea to reclaim land for development
一方面，大量的沙子被倾倒入海造成陆地方便开发，
while other cities need it to shore up islands against rising sea levels.
另一方面，一些城市则需要用沙子来加固岛屿，以抵御海平面上升。
But it’s mostly used in construction.
但它主要用于建筑。
Sand is the remains of pulverized and weathered rock mixed with shell fragments and other bits and pieces
沙子是粉碎或风化的岩石的残余，与贝壳碎片和其他碎屑混合在一起，
washed up and left as sediment from a body of water.
在被反复冲刷掉后遗留下来，形成的水域中的沉积物。
And because of that, sand is unique to where you find it —
正因如此，沙子对于它存在的那个地方是独一无二的 -
its composition depends on the rocks and minerals in that part of the world,
其成分取决于那个地区的岩石和矿物质，
some of which are sturdier and last longer than others.
有的岩石或矿物质比较坚固，持续时间也就更长。
This means with populations rising, sand is quickly becoming a hot commodity.
这就意味着，随着人口的增加，沙子很快就会成为热门商品。
Because, not all sand is created equal.
因为，并非所有的沙子都是平等的。
The fine-grained sand of the Sahara, for example, does not make an appropriate building material.
例如，撒哈拉沙漠的细沙就不宜用作建筑材料。
Instead, coarser sand must be mined, usually from the banks of local rivers and coastlines,
相反，颗粒较粗的沙子，通常来自当地河流或海岸线，则需要开采才能使用，
and this brings a whole host of environmental and human problems, but also makes for a valuable export.
这就会引起大量的环境问题和人类问题，但同时也变成了宝贵的出口产品。
You’d think sand is everywhere, but it’s NOT.
大家可能觉得沙子无处不在，但事实并非如此。
Modern cities use a lot of sand in construction;
现代城市在建设过程中会使用大量的沙子;
the global total for sand mining in 2010 was about 11 billion metric tons (12 tons).
2010年全球采砂总量约为110亿公吨（也就是120亿吨）。
Sand is a globalized commodity, whose trade value has increased sixfold in the last quarter-century.
沙是一种全球化的商品，在过去的二十五年间，其贸易额增长了六倍。
FOR SAND.
为沙而战。
Some cities are built on sand-heavy foundations but mostly it’s used to make concrete and asphalt.
有些城市使用的主要建材就是沙子，但沙子的主要用途是制造混凝土和沥青。
Cities like Dubai import the “right” kind of sand for construction -
迪拜等城市正在进口“合适”的建筑用沙 -
even though they’re surrounded by desert sand it isn’t strong enough for concrete,
尽管这些城市被沙漠包围着，但那些沙子的强度不足以满足混凝土的要求，
so the necessary sand is imported from Australia.
所以，他们需要的沙子都是从澳大利亚进口的。
And cities experiencing incredible growth rates are using a lot of sand.
发展速度惊人的那些城市用沙量也很大。
According to estimates, China used more concrete from 2011 to 2014 than the US went through in the entire 20th century.
据估计，中国在2011年至2014年期间使用的混凝土数量比美国在整个20世纪所用的都多。
And their rate isn’t slowing down.
而且这一速度还不会放慢。
There are plans to build cities that will dwarf New York!
他们还计划建造一些连纽约都会相形见绌的城市！
And because of this booming urbanization -sand mining has increased -with some pretty negative consequences.
由于这种蓬勃发展的城市化进程 - 采矿量也随之增加 - 从而便带来了一些相当不利的后果。
Sand for construction in Shanghai was originally dredged from the bottom of the Yangtze River.
上海的建设用沙原本是从长江底下疏浚的。
But bridges were damaged, the riverbank collapsed, and the shipping industry was disrupted so much that dredging the river bottom was banned.
但由于桥梁受损，河岸崩塌，航运受到严重破坏，政府便禁止再从长江挖沙。
Now nearby Lake Poyang is dredged.
现在上海的建筑用沙都是从鄱阳湖疏浚的。
But it’s not just structural. Sand dredging is taking a toll on the environment too.
但沙地疏浚这一做法造成的影响不仅仅是结构性的，还会破坏环境。
Dropping water levels can damage nearby wetlands, destroy the habitat for migratory birds,
水位的下降会破坏附近的湿地，破坏迁徙鸟类的栖息地，
and putting animals that rely on that water source on endangered species lists.
将依赖该水域的动物置于濒危物种名单上。
Sand extraction in Kenya damaged coral reefs.
肯尼亚的沙石开采损坏了珊瑚礁。
In India it’s a threat to rare crocodiles.
在印度，这一做法威胁到了稀有鳄鱼的生存。
In Indonesia sand mining wiped out whole islands.
在印度尼西亚，采砂摧毁了整个群岛。
So, what can we do about this “sand crisis”?
那么，面对“沙危机”，我们能做些什么呢？
One solution could be developing new materials with all the properties of sand for use in construction.
一种方案是开发具有建筑用砂同等特性的新材料。
Another could be to find an alternative to concrete for building.
另一种是找到可以替代混凝土的建筑材料。
Whatever the case, this is soon to be something we can’t ignore.
无论如何，这个问题不久就会变得忽视不得。
Recycling concrete could help, but some countries might not be able to set up the infrastructure to do that.
回收混凝土或许能够帮上点儿忙，但一些国家可能无法建立起相关基础设施来实现这一目标。
Finding an alternative to sand is ideal, but difficult;
最理想的办法是能找到沙子的替代品，但要想找到并不容易；
it would be hard to replace something that has, until now, been so abundant and cheap.
我们很难找到能够取代迄今为止如此丰富而便宜的东西。
So, next time you’re shaking sand out off your shoes at the beach, remember, this material is important.
所以，下次你在沙滩上倒鞋里的沙子的时候，请记住，这种材料很重要。
It’s a natural resource. It’s not renewable.
它是一种自然资源，而且不可再生。
And like a lot of nature -it’s got a lot of value.
就像大自然中的很多其他资源一样 - 沙子也有着宝贵的价值。
We’re finally recognizing our insane use of sand as a problem, and that is the first step to finding a solution.
我们终于认识到我们的用沙量已经达到了疯狂的水平，而意识到这一点是寻找解决方案的第一步。
There are OTHER ways we’re making construction more environmentally friendly, like building skyscrapers out of WOOD.
我们也可以用其他材料使建筑更加环保，比如用木材建造摩天大楼。
How? Find out here.
怎么造？去看这个视频寻找答案吧。
Fun fact: Shanghai has built as many high rises in the last decade as have been built in New York in the last century!
有趣的事实：上海只用了十年的时间就已经建成了纽约用一个世界才建成的许多高楼！
Thanks for watching and be sure to subscribe.
感谢您的收看，记得订阅噢。
