By the end of the 21st century, beaches will be a thing of the past.
That is the alarming forecast of a growing number of scientists and environmental NGOs. Sand has become a vital commodity for our modern economies: we use it in our toothpaste, detergents, and cosmetics, and computers and mobile phones couldn’t exist without it. Our houses, skyscrapers, bridges and airports are all basically made with sand: it has become the most widely consumed natural resource on the planet after fresh water. The worldwide construction boom fuelled by emerging economies and increasing urbanization has led to intensive sand extraction on land and in the oceans, with damaging environmental impacts. Sand Wars takes us around the world as it tracks the contractors, sand smugglers and unscrupulous property developers involved in the new gold rush, and meets the environmentalists and local populations struggling to reverse the threat to the future of this resource that we all take for granted.
I could only find the german version for free. The automated subtitles seemed not too bad to me, so when you're interested in the issue check those out. Don't forget to support the director and his team by buying the movie!
And here I thought the next wars were to be fought over water, not sand!
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Sand occurs naturally, http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/saltwater-science/what_is_sand_made_of but it would totally be possible to make it. This is like fresh water. We are pumping the one already available because it's easier and therefore cheaper to exploit. But if we were to run out, there are ways to make our own. Initially raising the price until technology and infrastructures are amortized. Look at solar energy, initially much more expensive than coal and fossile energy, now reaching interesting lows.
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