(单词翻译:单击)
Hey there! Welcome to Life Noggin!
大家好！欢迎来到脑洞大开的生命奇想！
Did you know that we're running out of sand? Seriously.
你知道我们的沙子快用完了吗？我说真的。
Scientists just discovered this a few years ago and this problem is actually a heck of a lot worse than it sounds.
科学家们几年前才发现这个问题，这个问题实际上比听起来要严重得多。
Surprisingly, we can't just make more or take it from the deserts.
令人惊讶的是，我们不能直接多制造一些，或者从沙漠中获取。
This problem has lead to dozens of islands disappearing, hundreds of murders, and serious environmental damage.
这个问题已经导致数十座岛屿消失，数百起谋杀和严重的环境破坏。
The global sand shortage is a huge concern for groups like the UN, but no one's really doing much about it.
全球沙子短缺是联合国等组织非常关心的问题，但是没有人真正为这个做些事。
Sure you won't get sand in all those hard to reach places, but what does this really mean for our planet?
当然你不会在那些很难到达的地方弄到沙子，但是这对我们的星球到底意味着什么呢？
Sand comes from rocks and minerals that have been battered by wind, rain and the seasons.
沙子来自被风、雨和季节侵蚀的岩石和矿物。
It resides at beaches, rivers, and sandboxes all over the world. And while it may seem like we've got enough sand to last forever, we really don't.
它藏在世界各地的海滩、河流和沙箱中。虽然我们似乎有用不完的沙子，但实际上我们真的没有。
Not the most important kind we need for construction anyway. All over the world, sand is mined for things like building material, land reclamation, and hydrofracking.
不管怎样，这不是我们建设所需要的最重要的一种。在世界各地，人们开采沙子用于建筑材料、土地复垦和水力压裂。
Most of the sand in nature, like in the desert, is too fine for society's massive needs, so it's mined from beachfronts, the bottom of the sea, riverbeds and quarries.
自然界中的大多数沙子，比如沙漠里的沙子，太细小，不能满足社会的巨大需求，所以沙子是从海滨、海底、河床和采石场开采出来的。
The sand industry is huge, which is a thing that I didn't think I was ever going to say. It's worth about $70 billion!
沙产业是巨大的，我从没想过要说这件事。它价值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.
目前开采速度快于形成速度，一些国家预计最早在2020年就会用完建筑用的沙子。
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，我们开采的沙子和碎石比化石燃料还要多——估计每年开采440亿吨。
There's even a black market for sand that's worth billions. These so-called "Sand Mafias" operate in over 70 countries and send armed gunmen to the beach at night to bag up sand.
甚至还有一个价值数十亿美元的沙子黑市。这些所谓的“沙滩黑手党”在70多个国家开展活动，他们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一惊人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.
从一个地区开采沙子会使该地区更容易受到侵蚀，降低地面的稳定性。
It can contribute to landslides and coastal communities have to deal with eroded beach fronts which make them even more vulnerable to rising sea levels and storms.
这会导致山体滑坡，沿海社区不得不面对侵蚀的海滩，这使得他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.
有人认为，仅印度尼西亚就有至少十个岛屿由于大规模的采砂而消失。
Erosion is already a huge problem caused by global warming and changing weather patterns, and sand mining is just contributing to the issue.
由于全球变暖和气候模式的变化，侵蚀已经成为一个巨大的问题，而采砂正是造成这一问题的原因之一。
Ecosystems are also damaged by sand mining too. When sand is taken from river beds, it can alter the flow of the entire river and affect vegetation.
采砂也破坏了生态系统。当沙子从河床中取出时，它会改变整个河流的流量，影响植被。
Water can be rerouted away from villages and areas that need it, creating shortages.
水流可能改道，不能流到需要它的村庄和地区，造成水资源短缺。
Plus, the wildlife in those areas will suffer too. Animals like endangered Asian crocodiles have nowhere to bask and wait for food when their riverbeds are taken away.
此外，这些地区的野生动物也会受到影响。像濒临灭绝的亚洲鳄鱼这样的动物，当河床发生迁移，它们没有地方晒太阳，没有地方觅食。
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、甲壳纲动物和海豚也受到水流变化和水中浮沙增多的影响。
This puts many endangered species in even more serious danger. If we don't acknowledge the extent of this sand crisis and figure out a solution fast, we're in real trouble.
这使得许多濒危物种面临更严重的危险。如果我们认识不到这场沙子危机的严重程度，不尽快找到解决办法，我们就真的有麻烦了。
With more and more people moving to cities, demands for construction sand are increasing.
随着越来越多的人移居城市，对建筑用砂的需求也在增加。
We'll need to find other materials for building buildings, roads and bridges.
我们需要找到建造建筑物、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. I have a pool in my backyard if anyone wants to come over.
否则，他们可能只能呆在郊区……这也许并没有那么糟糕。我后院有个游泳池，有人想来吗。
Let us know in the comment section below what we should talk about next. We're taking suggestions for future videos.
在下面的评论部分告诉我们接下来我们应该讨论什么。我们正在为以后的视频收集建议。
Curious to know what's hiding deep in the ocean? Check out this video.
想知道海洋深处隐藏着什么吗？看看这个视频。
These are massive, terrifying creatures with eyes the size of dinner plates and lengths greater than a school bus.
这是一种巨大而可怕的生物，它们的眼睛有餐盘那么大，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, bringing it in towards their beak.
它们吃东西的时候，就会用两条长长的捕食触须捕捉猎物，把它送进嘴里。
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。思考不要停！
