🏗️ Worldwide sand shortage

It’s Monday, February 5 — people are talking about the worldwide sand shortage, the phenomenon of swatting, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly. Here at Shades we believe that seeing multiple points of view is the best way to stay informed.

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- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)

🏗️ Worldwide sand shortage

As construction booms, sand is running out.

🏗️ As the world faces a high quality sand shortage due to high demand for construction, The Week argues that we must reduce extraction and recycle materials to prevent a crisis.

🏗️ The UN Environmental Programme agrees: We need a circular economy to tackle the sand crisis, otherwise we'll completely run out.

🏗️ But Stanford News suggests regulations for existing sand reserves. They would've prevented a shortage in the first place.

🏗️ OpenMind thinks a societal shift is key to tackling the sand crisis. Less material-intensive lifestyles are essential — supply is low, so let's decrease the demand to match it.

🏗️ Meanwhile, BBC highlights an innovative solution: Plastic waste could be a game-changing alternative in tackling the sand shortage crisis. Turning plastic trash into a sand substitute for concrete is on the rise.

🚨 The debate over swatting

Swatting is no game — from teens to politicians, it's a threat that spans society, sparking calls for tougher laws and cyber-savvy.

🚨 Swatting is the dangerous trend of falsely reporting bomb threats. NBC reports on a Florida teen accused of hundreds of swattings, including against FBI agents.

🚨 CNN says it's really bad, and people can die — the police officers who investigate bomb threats or active shooters are always on edge.

🚨 The Star Tribune thinks that swatting reflects deeper societal issues and advocates for a comprehensive strategy to combat it.

🚨 Wired proposes a solution: an anti-swatting registry for high profile figures who fear being swatted. It could seriously save lives — Seattle has already implemented it with success.

🚨 Fortinet takes a different approach: Everyone should proactively defend against swatting through strong cybersecurity measures.

Quick hits

⚽ The 2026 Men's World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. (Fox News)

🧑‍🚀 Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko set a new world record for time spent in space when he passed the 878 day milestone. (AP News)

❌ A South Dakotan tribe, the Oglala Sioux, banned the state governor Kristi Noem from its tribal land. (CBS News)

🎶 Taylor Swift won a record-breaking fourth Album of the Year Grammy. (USA Today)

Thanks for reading. If you have any feedback or want to share your thoughts or ideas, please email me at [email protected].