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HEY THERE! Welcome to Life Noggin! Did you know we’re running out of sand? Seriously.
欢迎来到大脑洞开的生命奇想！你知道我们快没有沙子了吗？真的。
Scientists just discovered this a few years ago and this problem is actually a heck of a lot worse than it sounds.
科学家在几年前发现了这个问题，这个问题实际上比听起来要严重多了。
Surprisingly, we can’t just make more or take it from the deserts.
令人惊讶的是，我们不能制造更多沙子或从沙漠中获取它。
This problem has lead to dozens of islands disappearing, hundreds of murders, and serious environmental damage.
这个问题已经导致很多岛屿消失，数以百计的谋杀，和严重的环境损害。
The global sand shortage is a huge concern for groups like the UN, but no one’s really doing much about it.
全球沙土短缺是联合国等组织非常关注的问题，但没有人真正为此做了很多。
Sure you won't get sand in those hard to reach places but What does this really mean for us and for our planet?
当然，人们不能在那些难以到达的地方获取沙子，这对我们和我们的星球意味着什么呢？
Sand comes from rocks and minerals that have been battered by wind, rain and the seasons.
沙子来自被风、雨和季节袭击过的岩石和矿物质。
It resides at beaches, rivers, and sandboxes all over the world.
它存在于世界各地的海滩，河流，沙场中。
And while it may seem like we’ve got enough sand to last forever, we really don’t.
虽然看起来我们有足够的沙子可以用一辈子，但实际情况并非如此。
Not the most important kind we need for construction anyway.
那不是我们用作建筑的重要的那种沙子。
All over the world, sand is mined for things like building material, land reclamation, and hydrofracking.
在世界各地，人们开采沙子用于建筑材料、土地开垦和水力压裂。
Most of the sand in nature, like in the desert, is too fine for society’s massive needs,
自然界的大部分沙子，比如沙漠里的沙子，对于社会的巨大需求来说太细了，
so it’s mined from beachfronts, the bottom of the sea, riverbeds and quarries.
所以我们用的沙子是从海滨、海底、河床和采石场开采的。
The sand industry is huge, which is a thing that I didn't think I was going to say, it's worth about $70 billion!
沙产业规模巨大，我没有想到我会说这件事，它价值约700亿美元！
It’s being mined faster than it’s being made and some countries are expected to run out of sand for construction as early as 2020.
沙子开采速度比生产速度快，一些国家预计最早在2020年就会用完用于建筑的沙子。
And it’s now known that we’re mining more sand and gravel than we are fossil fuels - an estimated 44 billion tons every year.
现在我们知道，我们开采的沙子和砂砾比我们开采的化石燃料还要多——估计每年有440亿吨。
There’s even a black market for sand that’s worth billions.
甚至还有一个价值数十亿美元的沙子黑市。
These so-called “Sand Mafias” operate in over 70 countries and send armed gunmen to the beach at night to bag up sand.
这些所谓的“沙黑手党”在70多个国家活动，并在晚上派武装分子到海滩上收集沙子。
Hundreds of people have been murdered over this surprisingly valuable resource and the negatives of this sand shortage don’t stop there.
成百上千的人因为这种宝贵的资源而被杀害，而沙子短缺的负面影响还不止于此。
Taking sand from an area makes it more vulnerable to erosion and reduces the stability of the ground.
从一个地区带走沙子会使它更容易受到侵蚀，并降低地面的稳定性。
It can contribute to landslides and coastal communities have to deal with eroded beach fronts
它可能导致山体滑坡，沿海社区不得不应对侵蚀的海滩，
which make them even more vulnerable to rising sea levels and storms.
这使得它们更容易受到海平面上升和风暴的影响。
At least ten islands in Indonesia alone are thought to have disappeared because of extensive sand mining.
仅在印度尼西亚就有至少10个岛屿因为大规模的采砂而消失。
Erosion is already a huge problem caused by global warming and changing weather patterns,
侵蚀已经是一个由全球变暖和气候模式改变导致的大问题，
and sand mining is just contributing to the issue. Ecosystems are also damaged by sand mining too.
沙子开采更是加重了这一问题。生态系统也受到了沙子开采的损害。
When sand is taken from river beds, it can alter the flow of the entire river and affect vegetation.
当沙子从河床取出时，它可以改变整个河流的流动，也会影响植被。
Water can be rerouted away from villages and areas that need it, creating shortages.
水可能会转移到远离需要它的村庄和地区，造成短缺。
Plus, the wildlife in those areas suffer too.
而且，这些地区的动植物也会遭殃。
Animals like endangered Asian crocodiles have nowhere to bask and wait for food when their riverbeds are taken away.
当河床消失时，濒临灭绝的亚洲鳄鱼等动物会没有地方晒太阳，等待食物。
And fish, crustaceans, and dolphins are also impacted by the altered water flow and the increased amount of floating sand in the water,
鱼类、甲壳类动物和海豚也会受到水流变化和水中浮沙增多的影响，
putting many endangered species in even more serious danger.
这会使许多濒危物种处于更严重的危险之中。
If we don’t acknowledge the extent of this sand crisis and figure out a solution fast, we’re in real trouble.
如果我们不承认沙子危机的严重性，并迅速找到一个解决方案，我们就真的有麻烦了。
With more and more people moving to cities, demands for construction sand are increasing.
随着越来越多的人搬到城市，建筑用沙的需求在增长。
We’ll need to find alternative materials for building buildings, roads and bridges.
我们需要寻找修建建筑、道路和桥梁的替代材料。
Otherwise, they may just have to stay in the suburbs... which might not be so bad after all.
否则，他们可能不得不待在郊区了...这可能也不会那么糟糕。
I have a pool in my backyard if anyone wants to come over.
我后院有一个泳池，如果有人想来的话。
Let us know in the comment section below what we should talk about next.
请在下面评论区告诉我们，接下来我们应该聊什么。
We're taking suggestions for future videos.
我们在收集关于以后视频的建议。
Curious to know what's hiding deep in the ocean? Check out this video.
想知道深海有什么东西吗？看看这个视频吧。
These are massive, terrifying creatures with eyes the size of dinner plates and lengths greater than a school bus.
它们是巨大而可怕的生物，眼睛有餐盘那么大，身体比校车还要长。
and when it's time for them to eat they capture their prey with their two long feeding tentacles,
到了进食的时候，它们会用两条长长的捕食触角捕捉猎物，
bringing it in towards their beak.
把它带到它们的嘴前。
As always, my name is Blocko, this has been Life Noggin. Don't forget to Keep On Thinking!
我是宝高，这里是脑洞大开的生命奇想。不要忘记继续思考！
