How our demand for sand fuels a violent global black market


The demand for that material is so intense that around the world, riverbeds and beaches are being stripped bare, and farmlands and forests torn up to get at the precious grains. And in a growing number of countries, criminal gangs have moved in to the trade, spawning an often lethal black market in sand.



Writing for BBC Future, Vince Beiser explains how sand — a very specific kind of sand — has become the second most consumed natural resource on the planet, fueling global environmental destruction, criminal enterprises, and even "sand wars."

"The demand for that material is so intense that around the world, riverbeds and beaches are being stripped bare, and farmlands and forests torn up to get at the precious grains," Beiser writes. "And in a growing number of countries, criminal gangs have moved in to the trade, spawning an often lethal black market in sand."

Alexander Walter via Archinect - News http://bit.ly/2O6fGSE

Yorumlar

Yorum Gönder

Bu blogdaki popüler yayınlar

2017 CMYK Color Swatch Calendar

Resim
Après les éditions 2014, 2015 et 2016 , le graphiste et designer Peter von Freyhold revient avec l’édition 2017 de son CMYK Color Swatch Calendar . Chaque jour de l’année dispose d’un petit onglet de couleur à détacher. Il est donc possible de créer des petits nuanciers de couleur, à l’aide des attaches disponibles. Un calendrier idéal pour les amoureux de design. L’objet est disponible à la vente ici . , Léa, via Fubiz Media http://ift.tt/2e1Vnqo
Devamı

Wood Urbanism

Resim
Wood Urbanism: From the Molecular to the Territorial Daniel Ibañez, Jane Hutton, Kiel Moe (Editors) Actar Publishers , November 2019 Hardcover | 8 x 10-1/4 inches | 488 pages | English | ISBN: 978-1945150814 | $54.95 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Wood holds unique and timely lessons for urbanization, yet it remains inadequately characterized in architecture, landscape architecture, and urbanism. From under-considered thermal properties to emerging manufacturing possibilities, from changing forestry regimes to larger carbon cycle dynamics, Wood Urbanism explores the unique material and scalar properties of wood, presenting it as a critical material for design today. It brings into conversation scholars and practitioners who focus on wood from a range of perspectives: from the working forest to the mid-rise building to the basic cell. Drawing from the inherent intelligence and depth of multiple disciplines, this book offers a transcalar perspective on the role of wood in cont...
Devamı

Building a gentrification early warning system with big data

Resim
But what if there were a way to see gentrification long before the coffee shops, condos and Whole Foods appear? What if city planners and neighborhoods had an early warning system that could sniff out the changes just as they begin? [...] neighborhood advocates would have the opportunity to implement policies ranging from reserving affordable housing units to educating residents of their renting rights to helping small businesses negotiate long-term lease extensions. In his NPR piece, astrophysics professor Adam Frank explains how various big data sets, like housing prices, eviction records, census data, or social media usage, can be utilized for "predictive analytics" to detect early onsets of gentrification for specific neighborhoods at an increasingly high resolution — and what significant perils come with it. Alexander Walter via Archinect - News http://ift.tt/2wjDBoB
Devamı