Should the construction industry care about sand? And, if so, how?

In a carbon obsessed world of climate professionals, it is easy to forget about sand. In his excellent book describing various solutions to avoid a climate disaster, Mr. Bill Gates says “concrete is even harder (to find a carbon friendly way of making). To make it, you mix together gravel, sand, water and cement. The first three of these are relatively easy: it is the cement that is the problem for the climate.”

In this podcast Ms. Pereira, the author of the book Sand Stories, argues that sand is not a renewable resource and that the construction industry should think of its environmental impact in a holistic way. We discuss the various solutions that are emerging and how companies bringing circular and green solutions are working in partnership with others and with architects, civil engineering firms and city planners to scale up solutions. But it is not easy and joining me in this discussion is Rajiv Khosla, founder of Bignify, a management and technology consulting firm to discuss how these solutions can create an impact in large urbanizing economies like India.