Imagine a future war between two countries over something as frivolous as... sand? I'm not saying it will happen but what is occurring in our modern times regarding sand is a little worrisome. Why? Because the world is running out of sand for concrete mixing. Before I get into the details further, let me show you a list of wars fought in the past over some of the stupidest reasons.
According to Ranker.com, the number one stupidest war was the one fought over an oak bucket. Yes, you read correctly. We have to go back to year 1325 for this one. Soldiers from the Italian city-state of Modena snuck into another Italian city-state, Bologna and stole a wooden bucket from the main city well, filled it with plundered loot and took off. Bologna demanded the return of the bucket and when Modena refused, war was declared. In the end, Bologna lost and never got their bucket back.
I know what you're thinking... 'That's Baloney'!
Then there's the War of Jenkin's Ear in 1739 between England and Spain. Eight years earlier, the Spanish boarded a British vessel and for whatever reason, cut off the captain's ear. His name was Robert Jenkins. The British used this as their reason to launch a war against the Spanish which would last 9 years.
Then, there's the Al-Basus War of 494 C.E. which lasted 40 years in the Arabian Peninsula. The reason, a lone camel that strayed onto another property and was killed by the land owner, not even knowing it wasn't his camel.
The 1969 Football War between Honduras and El Slavador lasted just 100 hours. Both countries were vying for the 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifications. Honduras won the first round and of course, the riots started. Then, El Salvador won the second and third rounds. What followed was the immediate cutoff of diplomatic ties. The brief war displaced thousands and hundreds lost their lives as a result.
I know what you're thinking... 'Ohhh those soccer fans'.
In 610 C.E. the War of Dahis and Ghabra between two Arab tribes was fought over a race horse! The Flagstaff War of 1844 in New Zealand, fought between the British and Maori Natives was over the British flag. Their chief, Hone Heke had ordered the British flag post be chopped down in protest but the British simply erected another. Heke himself then went and cut it down. The British, with their superior army won the war.
Now, getting back to sand. I have some Filipino friends who had mentioned to me a few years ago that Chinese vessels were sneaking into Philippine territorial waters to dredge sand and take it away. I didn't really take it seriously at the time but as time went on, news articles steadily kept popping up over the issue and as no surprise to me, Zero Hedge published an article last night titled, 'As the world runs out of sand, Chinese 'pirates' profit, plunder and pillage', which highlights the issue of 'sand robbery'.
You might think, 'Oh, there's plenty of sand in the desert' but it's not the right kind of sand. Desert sand is too round from wind erosion. Meanwhile, sea, lake and river sand is angular and much more suitable as it interlocks with cement to form concrete.
Cement is the 'glue', comprising of lime and clay. Mix with sand and water and what you get is concrete. The amount of sand used to build an average sized house is 200 tons while a hospital building can use more than 3,000 tons while a mile of concrete highway uses up 15,000 tons. On a yearly basis, humanity uses up some 50 billion tons of sand, twice the amount produced by every river in the world.
Imagine how much concrete is used to build just one skyscraper! On the other hand, sand is much more useful than just for concrete.
Sand, the right kind of it is so important in our daily lives yet, most people are not aware of the importance of sand, the second most consumed commodity after water. Third place if you include the air we breathe. Pure silica, which is in every solar panel, cell phone, tablet and every computer imaginable is made from the purest sand. Our glass cups, jars and containers are made of sand. Every time you look out the window, you're looking through sand, literally.
Business Insider published an article on June 11, 2018 titled, 'Why the world is running out of sand and there's a black market for it now', was a hint of things to come. In it, it states that China 'has 102 cities with more than a million people'. As the country continues to grow, its hunger for sand will only grow stronger.
Which brings us back to yesterday's article on Zero Hedge which highlights how Chinese 'pirate' vessels are sneaking around other jurisdictions and stealing the sand right from under their noses (or water). Connecting the dots with what my Filipino friends told me a few years ago, it's clear China has been at it for a while now and the story is now starting to go mainstream.
Could a war erupt over sand pillaging? Knowing that humans have fought over some seriously stupid issues in the past, it wouldn't surprise me. I hope it never gets to that point. The obvious solution is to start crushing rock to be used as an alternative to sand. Maybe it's too costly at this time but a war over sand would be a tad costlier, wouldn't you agree?
It just so happens that I plan on laying down a concrete foundation on my vacation property next spring or summer. I sure hope there's still some sand left to finish my project when the time comes!
Peace and Love to everyone.
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