Is Concrete The Most Destructive Material On Earth? - Cheddar Explains

Concrete has given rise to modern life. It’s so ubiquitous and takes so many forms that it might be easy to forget about. Yet now there is increasing pressure to change the way we use and make concrete. As cities warm and flood, as biodiversity is reduced and as water becomes more scarce worldwide - a portion of the blame is increasingly placed on concrete, the seemingly invisible foundation for our world.
Further reading:
The New York Times
www.nytimes.com/2020/08/11/bu...
NPR
www.npr.org/2017/11/09/563016...
Quartz
qz.com/1748561/%E2%80%A8reduc...
Nature Sustainability
www.nature.com/articles/s4189...
Science History Institute
www.sciencehistory.org/distil...
The Guardian
www.theguardian.com/cities/20...
www.theguardian.com/cities/20...
Environmental Protection Agency
www.epa.gov/sites/production/...
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[@mishham6388]

why would concrete go to land fill when u can secycle it by crushing it and reuse for road base and other material depending on how finely crushed. Well at least we do in Australia

[@MTobias]

It can be somewhat recycled but only at a significant loss of quality.

[@stoneprevious4294]

It's also very labor intensive.

[@melvinkeller1466]

It’s done in the US too.

[@YellinInMyEar]

What can’t be recycled could be used as wave breaker in beach eroding areas, right? Even can be used to help form foundation for coral

[@SunriseCavalier]

@broe5010 broe5010 am American, can confirm. But don't generalize and say all of us are like that. A significant portion of our population is brainwashed by corporate propaganda and another large portion is simply apathetic. But there are still many who actually care about something, its just we're not the loudest ones shouting.

[@jacobz4967]

Another thing about the shortage of sand is that you can't use desert sand or ocean sand as they are too smooth for concrete. We have to use river sand that is rougher and better used in concrete. If you want to learn more about this then here is a recent SciShow video on the shortage of sand. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2PCgXR6p5Wdd6M

[@azizkaraulov6872]

Then what ? Do we have to lower our population ? If we are so stupid to demand changes ?

[@vicgamesvt9682]

@@azizkaraulov6872 the population is already being lowerd

[@vegahimsa3057]

Oh. That's an important detail. Thanks.

[@gabrielfraser2109]

Ocean sand is actually the correct texture, but taking beach sand could eventually lead to severe erosion on coastlines. Sand taken from the ocean floor would have little environmental impact, but it would have to be cleaned of salt, which would add considerable cost. So we're not running out of sand, but we are running out of cheap sand.

[@vishalgiraddi5357]

Now it's compulsary in India ( atleast in my state) to use manufactured sand ( crushed rocks) for concrete

[@ExcMARK20916]

She didn’t mention that concrete takes a certain type of sand that is not smooth. The Earth has plenty of sand in deserts and beaches, but not the type of sand used in concrete.

[@alivrah]

This is actually an important part of the problem, really weird it wasn’t mentioned

[@seneca983]

"The Earth has plenty of sand in deserts and beaches, but not the type of sand used in concrete." It's specifically beaches that have the right kind of sand (but not deserts, though).

[@jimurrata6785]

@@seneca983 I just made this point my other reply. I have no idea what alternate universe these folks get their facts from...

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

Wrong!! Incorrect! You LOSE sir. Good DAY SIR

[@joermnyc]

Concrete is 100% recyclable, there’s no excuse to dump it into a landfill.

[@narayananjayachandran831]

100% recyclable? Please enlighten me how...

[@erniemenard7727]

@@narayananjayachandran831 Simple, grind it up. It's already being done, there is no need to put any concrete in landfills.

[@narayananjayachandran831]

@@erniemenard7727 how to separate the reinforcement bars from the concrete? You grind it up along with steel bars?

[@JEMA333]

@@narayananjayachandran831 more like 30% because it waste a lot of water and only returns less than half the concrete you used.

[@narayananjayachandran831]

@@JEMA333 Still takes a lot of effort to recycle... Have to look st the root cause and find a suitable way to isolate reinforcing bars from concrete post demolition

[@A_guan]

"People take concrete for granite"

[@msladypmodel]

lol stopppp ittttt

[@TheLiamster]

What’s “contrete”?

[@stillnotspicy]

rick memory wipe time

[@pakopepefdez185]

@@TheLiamster www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=contrete

[@dw6015]

Is there any concrete evidence of this?

[@PatoSwag]

0:38 “for granite”

[@randomdaimyo5122]

What are you, a boulder? A rock-person?

[@thelostpotato8846]

@@randomdaimyo5122 I'm just gonna get rid of that memory.

[@lukaskongstad2838]

That joke was rocksolid man

[@isaacho4573]

@@lukaskongstad2838 I norite 😂

[@westhouse4641]

Dude I was going to say this but decide to check if anyone else had yet :/ beat me to the punch. Hunter biden knows a lot about geology, I heard hes an expert on rock.

[@FGH9G]

There's no concrete solution unfortunately. Ok, I'll leave. 😂🤣

[@AF-wd2gt]

It is a mixture of problems

[@doomed2obscurity666]

@@AF-wd2gt because humanity cemented those problems

[@nowayout2657]

There is but, the Romain Concrete is more expansive,but ppl want it cheap.

[@cageybee7221]

that joke was *hard* to read...

[@afireinhearts1302]

........👌

[@DrRandomStranger]

as cgp grey once said: there are no solutions, only trade-offs.

[@piecekeeper5317]

Originally Thomas Sowell said that.

[@DrRandomStranger]

@@piecekeeper5317 in which book? i've read basic economics and vision of the anointed

[@piecekeeper5317]

@@DrRandomStranger I'm not quite sure if it was a book or an interview, but you can look up Thomas Sowell quotes.

[@joseph1150]

@@DrRandomStranger 20 seconds in google said it was in A Conflict of Visions.

[@DrRandomStranger]

you got me there, i didnt google it. honestly, it was ok for me to know it was from sowell

[@anthonyholroyd5359]

To be clear, the Cascades derailment pictured in the 'infrastructure crumbling' montage was caused by excessive speed. Americas infrastructure is crumbling, and requires vast investment no doubt! But that incident occurred on a relatively brand new section of track, a section that has not yet seen the roll-out of regular passenger services since the crash - despite excessive speed being the primary cause of the crash, rather than infrastructure issues.

[@anthonyholroyd5359]

@Bsauce I'm 26 . . .

[@anthonyholroyd5359]

@Bsauce on what grounds? 😅😅😅

[@TheoreticalString]

It wasn't really a brand new section of track. It was a repurposed section of track being used for something brand new - namely high speed rail. However this wasn't a great idea - the rail speed was 80 mph, yet the speed limit of the curve was 30 mph - even with new track, the curve angle had the old velocity profile. A twelve year old could have explained why that was stupid, but we went forward with it.

[@anthonyholroyd5359]

@@TheoreticalString not a problem here - if America had safety systems such as AWS & TPWS and Morpeth boards fitted for severe speed restrictions . . . How many incidents in recent US railway safety have been caused by excessive speed? The Frankford Jn. Derailment being another clear example where UK cab design could have prevented the incident.

[@TheoreticalString]

@@anthonyholroyd5359 It's not really a matter of excessive speed. It's a matter of linking an 80 mph track to a 30 mph curve. Yes, you can blame the speed for the accident, but a very stupid decision was made long before then. Our signalling infrastructure is also laughably out of date, that's true too.

[@TheCaptainLulz]

6:04 - it doesnt have to. I know where Im at, they crush it and use it as the sand and gravel in new concrete. It can absolutely be recycled.

[@bigmike9128]

Thank you i was wondering about this.

[@uhohhotdog]

You can’t turn it into sand. Not the sand that’s needed to make concrete at least. Gravel, sure

[@cmdr1911]

It can also replace limestone, in Ohio it is #304 lime stone. Small rock with fine power. Typically used in foundations and road bases. The material cones from DOT jobs so it is certified for DOT use. Better than recycling, reuse

[@thabiso5792]

Where do you live?

[@uhohhotdog]

@Your moms HITACHI you’re turning it into gravel.

[@SteveBueche1027]

But doesn’t the water (though curing) evaporate back into the atmosphere where it then turns back into rain?

[@nicolasmartin8136]

Even if that is the case, regions with fresh water shortages tend to receive very little rain. So if they use water from, let's say, the ground to make concrete, this water is gone for them. Plus a significant amount of rainwater ends up in oceans so that's also a loss for global freshwater reserves.

[@MTobias]

Curing actually doesn't evaporate the water. That's why concrete can also "dry" underwater. It binds chemically with the cement, so it stays in the concrete.

[@DJ_Force]

@@nerdlearners "Upon mixing with water, the calcium silicates react with water molecules to form calcium silicate hydrate (3CaO · 2SiO2 · 3H2O) and calcium hydroxide (Ca[OH]2)" Src: www.britannica.com/technology/cement-building-material/The-major-cements-composition-and-properties "Wet concrete doesn't harden by drying. Instead, the water is a chemical component in a curing process. The compounds that react with the water are in the portland cement." Src: www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to/a3214/1275111/ "The reason that concrete doesn't dry out and then reabsorb water later is because water isn't leaving the concrete at all. It's reacting with it and becoming part of the concrete form." Src: interestingengineering.com/why-concrete-doesnt-actually-dry-out

[@MTobias]

@@nerdlearners I'm sorry man, but you're just wrong. If you want to know about the chemical process, you can read about it here: civilengineeringnotes.com/hydration-of-cement/ Most of the water stays in the concrete.

[@Ramiromasters]

Let me just remind people that we have more water than land surface on Earth, sure work free pure water it's a spoil Earth has given us to which now we feel entitled to but we have to accept nature doesn't have to give us everything, doesn't have to make donuts or iPad rains... We have sunlight, we have knowhow and we have salty water, don't ask for more just work it out, there is no water scarcity.

[@vishalgiraddi5357]

5:55 correction : crushed concrete can partially replace sand in concrete

[@notrickytoyota]

No

[@notrickytoyota]

But heat it up again and it agregate and ciment agai

[@marcosmota1094]

More than half-way through, and you haven't mentioned that the Germans recycle concrete and that carbonating concrete makes it less of a CO2 hog. Additionally, "foamcrete" is a thing...literally add foam to concrete to make it lighter and stretch the raw material. Just yesterday I needed to buy plywood here in NYC to make a cabinet, but the price had gone up to $60 (fear of riots). I went by a construction site and asked a foreman for a half-sheet from the refuse. He hauled out a tremendously heavy board from a Brazilian company called *Miraluz.* I looked them up and they make heavy-duty, high quality plywood...where does that wood come from? The Amazon. Yet here I was getting it from the *trash* in the Bronx. The problem is that the US does not recycle but a pittance of construction trash. *(I worked at Google's HQ for some years, and had access to the loading docks. The amount of construction materials and metal that went into the rubbish was enough to build a small town or 10,000 cars year after year.)*

[@cerneysmallengines]

Concrete has a vast secondary life characteristic. Look up class 5 gravel. It is literally crushed concrete that has a vast industrial application. It can be used as ritrot to improve water drainage. It can be used to shore up unstable soil to add stability. Its spread along roadway shoulders. It's even a substitute for the concrete formula, literally being reused as future concrete. It's hardly clogging up our landfills. Your amazon envelope has a better chance of going in a landfill than the sidewalk your walking on to go grab your $10 cup of coffee

[@cheatswiz58]

Concrete's back on the menu, boys. Let's rip this shit out with our machine hands and smash it up, do a line-

[@curiousfirely]

"Cement has binded the world together" I can't tell if this is a pun, or just a grammar mistake...

[@Someone-ig7we]

How can it be a grammar mistake? Wdym?

[@curiousfirely]

@@Someone-ig7we the past tense of bind is bound, not binded...but since they are talking about binding material, I wonder if the mistake was intentional? www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/bind#:~:text=The%20past%20tense%20of%20bind,to%20create%20an%20emotional%20attachment.

[@Ramiromasters]

@@curiousfirely I'm not an original english speaker but I know bound its a word, bound like leaping.

[@curiousfirely]

@@Ramiromasters and that is another meaning of that word in English...I'm sorry its so confusing.

[@Ramiromasters]

@@curiousfirely XD

[@Bustermachine]

"We take it for granite" "Did you just say granite? It's taken for GRANTED!" "I was talking about Concrete!" "Oh!"

[@danielcisneros1164]

Concrete is crushed after it is removed and turned into crushed concrete all the steel is removed as much as possible , the crushed concrete can be use for almost anything like gravel roads ,base for a new road or parking lot also to fill land on new developments, when it is compacted well it makes a very solid base, water can actually flow off of it to a ditch or a low spot.

[@maythesciencebewithyou]

Only some of it is, most of it indeed lands in landfills. It's like with other trash, it's often cheaper to turn a mountain to dust than to go through the trash.

[@utaamtrak9584]

2:30 The picture of the derailed train had nothing to do with concrete. The train was going 80MPH in a 30 zone, and the bridge just happen to be there.

[@scottlarson1548]

I also didn't get why they're showing the Amtrak Cascades crash near Seattle from a few years ago. That wasn't caused by crumbing concrete.

[@altrag]

@@austinwilliams3448 Seems a waste to spend all that money educating your kids when they won't have a planet to retire on anyway.

[@yokai.chaser]

That isn't the point. But jere's a gold star for knowing something. 🌟

[@utaamtrak9584]

@@austinwilliams3448 How the hell does this apply!

[@scottlarson1548]

@@austinwilliams3448 You determined it's "pure leftist propaganda" because you have a financial interest in the continued use of the product. *Right*

[@memofromessex]

Please for the love of God stop just saying Farenheit, the civilised world does not use that weird measure

[@extrastuff9463]

I agree that it's mildly infuriating, but as long as they make it for the US market it sort of makes sense (I don't know their viewer statistics). But it would be totally reasonable to spend a little bit of time to include the converted number in the video at the right time or say both in a slightly longer sentence. Keeps the locals happy and also spares me from having to guess or convert it to something I can make sense of.

[@heartofdawn2341]

@@extrastuff9463 Or America could, you know, learn to use the official international standards.

[@cmurderfrumpbottoniv8647]

You sound like a american bitching about standard's. Just do the figure in ya head..

[@fangabxyfangabxy8563]

*Civilized Jokes aside yeah they should probably show both Fahrenheit and Celsius. it would probably be a needless distraction to do the calculations

[@aaronwernz5788]

You could be right. I think instead we should use the system of measurements that were successfully used to put a human on the moon.😎🇺🇸

[@sKwinkS13]

Use Celsius as well as Fahrenheit, not all people are American

[@hydrolito]

1.8 C + 32 gives result in F to change from F minus 32 and result of that times 5 and divide by 9. Zero Degrees C = 32 degrees F. 100 degrees C times 1.8 = 180 then add 32 so equals 212 for boiling point of water in F. If body temperature 98.6 in F then subtract 32 to get 66.6 times by 5 = 333 then divide by 9 gives 37 degrees C body temperature.

[@ShainAndrews]

Then learn how to convert it in your head. So subtract 30 then divide by two. You are welcome.

[@heartofdawn2341]

@@hydrolito Or, and this is a crazy idea I know, you could simply use the official international, scientific standard literally everybody else does.

[@hecker1982]

F to C calculators are readily available.

[@ShainAndrews]

@@hecker1982 Learn to approximate in your head. For general reference it works, and will certainly make you look knowledgeable.

[@greenhat7618]

Can you add celsius when mentioning temperatures, you’re a science/engineering channel

[@complyordie5057]

Only heathens use Celsius, in the developed world we use Fahrenheit

[@GunnerySurgeon]

@@complyordie5057 ah yes entire world are inferior compared to Us

[@Photonetheous]

@@complyordie5057 Seriously? Are you insane or stupid? Maybe both?

[@complyordie5057]

@@Photonetheous it was a joke. You know: haha, funny funny. Take a deep breath, it'll be ok.

[@Photonetheous]

@@complyordie5057 Okay, sorry then.

[@fernandoromerogalvan]

I know you said, "... and dams" but I heard, in my heart, "and daaaaaaaaamn"

[@RaviShankar-et3xc]

I'm not sure if you all know, in India in our part of the country, we are already ran out of sand and we use M-Sand (Manufactured Sand)

[@alivrah]

Is it much more expensive?

[@RaviShankar-et3xc]

@@alivrah It's way cheaper than river sand and readily available in our area. Even I built my house using it. People acceptance is slow at the start when it was introduced before few years but it has almost become the default option for the sand now.

[@ajaysinghrathore1940]

We need to find a concrete solution for this.

[@jah5886]

I agree eminem

[@Ni-rj1oq]

Eminem sucks

[@MagicHasArrived]

@Cheddar To be fair, the statistic at 4:46 isn't nearly as impactful when you consider that China already produces over half of the world's cement, and the emissions of that would already be considered/counted for China as a country on that list.

[@AWhinyKid]

Always my issue with these kind of videos. They throw numbers and statistics at you so fast and with so little context that they're essentially meaningless. I know this is meant to be more of a crash course than an in depth review, but still the numbers are basically just placebos for making the viewer feel like they understand more than they do.

[@albywinters]

I find this video bias in numerous areas. Foremost stop automatically associating petrol with corn!

[@tysonplett3328]

As a concrete pourer, I already see concrete everywhere.

[@jblackjack]

I was told by my Architect professor when I was studying Architecture that concrete is placed , not poured. Was he wrong or are you ? Concrete.org says placed .

[@tysonplett3328]

@@jblackjack sure, you can be right in the most irrelevant way possible.

[@jblackjack]

@@tysonplett3328 irrelevant and uneducated was your initial statement!

[@DDRWakaLaka]

wish you touched upon how desert sand is unusable and that's part of why we're running out of sand

[@albywinters]

They have in another video. But yes you’re right.

[@CCumva]

Cheddar: all concrete begins to crumble at some point... 2k years old Colloseo builders: lol

[@szylaj]

Well, to be fair, it crumbled a bit.

[@danielrose1392]

One simple way to have an impact for many of us: Use paving stones instead of poured concrete. While the initial impact is about the same, you get a much longer use out of the material. You can reuse them in case the surface was damaged or you had to open it.

[@supercellex4D]

or large cut boulders with concrete masonry? full future retro

[@RenAok]

I have worked in a construction site and I can tell you that having “waste material” - concrete, clean water, etc- is the standard. People there are used to be inefficient compared to other industries.

[@punkyreggaeparty8786]

This is actually something I've thought about for years...Always been curious about what is and isn't biodegradable.....Thanks! Great vid!

[@faisalaziz4420]

world : losing sand Africa : hold my Sahara desert

[@alivrah]

Not usable for making concrete tho

[@seneca983]

Desert sand is worn by the wind making it too smooth. Concrete needs rougher sand worn by water.

[@Soff1859]

Whats with the farenheit guys? At least also show Celsius on the screen. This measure is completely useless to the 95% of potential viewers who arent US american. Its bad enough we have to do mental gymnastics with pounds and miles but at least those are easily calculated in your head. But farenheit isnt even a straight forward formula like x1.6 or divide by 2.

[@mcamp9445]

Plus 32 than Celsius times 1.8

[@Soff1859]

@@mcamp9445 then why dont they just put it in celsius for the 95% non-US-americans and let the 5% from the US quickly calculate times 9/5 + 32? ;)

[@brightenight8699]

@@Soff1859 awe yes, 9/5 a very common unit of division. And the plus 32 makes "intuitive" sense. The problem with farenheit isn't the method, it's the fact people don't know how to use it. No matter how simple the method may be if people don't know it, it does not matter.

[@Soff1859]

@@brightenight8699 i know ;) i also wasnt serious. The serious solution is to just put celsius on the screen. If the cheddar people put dozens of hours into producing a video, the 2 minutes of calculating and putting the celsius in, is negligible. But if i watch it in 9 mins i dont want to spend two minutes calculating or googling. Fahrenheit is particularly ridiculous. Most non americans know that pounds are roughly half a kilo and miles roughly 1.5 kilometers. And those are doable to calculate. The farenheit formula is not... Also the video is kinda scientific and even in the US scientific institutions like NASA, universities and the military have been using the metric system for a long time, because its actually better.

[@brightenight8699]

@@Soff1859 Thank you for clarifying. From experience I always assume that people are going to defend imperial and ridicule metric. As a Canadian I have experience having to juggle both metric and imperial. I agree with what you proposed because it shouldn't be the viewer's job convert units in my opinion. To add insult for injury for cheddar they are also owned by Atlice USA. A publicly traded cable television provider. So for them to be corporate, have a ton of subscribers and have been asked by many people to change makes this situation seem hopeless.

[@burgersnchips]

Concrete crumbles because the rebar rusts, which makes it expand and break the concrete. I reckon designing to not need rebar would make the building last significantly longer. Also, not sure if this is a thing but adding tiny pellets of charcoal to the mix in place of some of the sand or rock would sequester the carbon. Might reduce the strength, but that may be OK in some situations like paving.

[@jbach2002]

Something about the urban runoff reminded me that a couple days ago I was playing city skylines. I turned on a mod that simulated urban runoff to see what it was... The first time it rained my entire city flooded, some portions were completely underwater. The population of 116,000 was reduced to 45,000. Parts of the city were just collapsed buildings, while the rest was abandoned buildings. Only 3 of my neighborhoods were left unaffected, which is where the remaining population was. I have since deleted the mod XD XD XD

[@ChristianJiang]

0:54 Lol the comparison doesn’t really work if you don’t give a time frame for China’s production: are we talking of a 3-year-long time span or a 100-year-long one?

[@zacharyyoumans9614]

Last year only

[@alejandrocruz2547]

Hey girl! You have a decent voice, but please work on eliminating your use of Upspeak. It’s irritating and unprofessional.

[@user-sg9mg6cn2c]

She may need professional help for that,because she's probably so accustomed to speaking that way, she doesn't even realize she does it. But I definitely agree with you.

[@XeoNIvan]

Let's not forget that a large portion of concrete is REINFORCED with rebar, which is mostly made of steel that requires the burning of coking coal in the furnaces.

[@GilmerJohn]

Not so much anymore (at least in the US) much/most of US steel production comes from processing scrap. Since the US imports a lot of cars, we end up with plenty of steel scrap. Heck, a good deal of the steel used for bridges and buildings is imported. They is little need in the US to make iron from ore.

[@BradThePitts]

I'm still hiding in my garage with a camping stove and a handgun awaiting the Y2K disaster.

[@kornaros96]

Are you preparing for the 2K38 disaster? It will be much bigger...

[@lawoftheuniverse8089]

We already had that and you are lucky that you lived through it...!!! :)

[@grandsome1]

0:03 Failed opportunity to make an Avatar The Last Airbender reference.

[@MrMikahT]

"Long ago, the four ingredients came together to create concrete"

[@JoeTheBroken]

@@CarlosAM1 Idiot

[@hecofemonetization6270]

@@CarlosAM1 ignorant

[@CarlosAM1]

I dont understand anime stuff

[@hecofemonetization6270]

@@CarlosAM1 it ain't an anime, it was made by an american studio a long time ago.

[@codybugler5464]

Hi can u plz put Celsius in brackets when you mention a Fahrenheit temperature ☺️

[@patrickgallagher9069]

As you stated, "the infrastructure starts to crumble," you showed an image of an Amtrack train wreck, suggesting the train wreck was due to crumbling infrastructure. I know a whole lot about that specific train wreck. That's why I recognized that image so quickly. It was caused by human error of the engineer driving the train.

[@kishoregurudasani5126]

Earliest ever been to a cheddar video .

[@guilegameche3810]

1:52 How about trying replicate the recipe used by some Greeks that still, to this day, withstand saline water?

[@joermnyc]

There’s also an ancient Roman one that can set underwater.

[@Paul-oi2wz]

I think that recipe was lost.

[@BG_NC]

The recipe is no longer lost. They just used seawater instead of normal water.

[@sublivion5024]

@@joermnyc modern concrete sets underwater just as well as it sets in dry conditions

[@user-nf9xc7ww7m]

Rebar concrete is used today and can build tall and strong, but cracks and breaks if not taken care of. Roman concrete did not use rebar and can stand the test of time, but cannot build skyscrapers without imminent collapse and other accidents.

[@EMSWK]

I would like to see a breakdown of how you get 200 tons of sand needed to build a single house.

[@tomx641]

If its poured concrete then maybe. Concrete is REALLY heavy, and 1 ton of liquid concrete really isn't all that much.

[@affable407]

Great, another thing to worry about... I’m moving to a yurt

[@FerdinandCesarano]

2:16 - "has binded" -> "has bound"

[@beowulf2772]

"Most people take concrete and cement for granite"

[@aaronwernz5788]

I checked some of the statements in this and I couldn’t find anyone else that said the agricultural industry was the biggest co2 producing industry most listed it between 4-5. No big deal it just makes it hard to believe anything else they say.

[@barneystinson2781]

They use specific framing to misconstrue facts.

[@cossacktwofive4974]

Running out of sand? Some sky-guy will be happy with this news.

[@TimHoppen]

What did you just call me? Don't get snippy with me, little one.

[@HelgaCavoli]

Urban floods: I wish most street roads (not fast ones) would use those puzzle shaped blocks. It helps water in, it obliges cars to drive slow, it's great for holes and fixes (with better rebuilt value).

[@alexlu9564]

That's a pretty hard story

[@cageybee7221]

like alot of other people have said, what about recycling?

[@diceland512]

really cool and informative content, thanks!

[@BUBBLETEABOY]

You can recycle ♻️ concrete here’s a snippet from Wikipedia “ DescriptionConcrete recycling is the use of rubble from demolished concrete structures. Recycling is cheaper and more ecological than trucking rubble to a landfill. Crushed rubble can be used for road gravel, revetments, retaining walls, landscaping gravel, or raw material for new concrete. “

[@calvinpg7372]

Please add celcius! You have viewers from outside the US!

[@stevenp25100]

And? It's not hard to convert or have general understanding of fahrenheit. No reason to ruin the flow of the script.

[@eersyu]

Whats Fahrenheit? I don't understand

[@stevenp25100]

@@eersyu research, learn, grow :)

[@drdremd]

Doesn’t matter anymore, no reason anyone from outside the USA would come here now with our COVID issues.

[@andrewhatton1606]

No

[@Pauliminator]

04:50 "if cement was a country" bruh wtf

[@CaptainFSU]

...Makes perfect sense to me, how are you at all confused?

[@GrasshopperWithoutGrass]

1. China 2. U.S. 3: cement

[@EdyAlbertoMSGT3]

If the pollution from the worldwide production of Cement was compared with the pollution from countries

[@elyukayee123]

We can't just switch to more "sustainable" concrete. We need to start using alternatives to it and implementing them in our buildings, and finding new methods of construction that either reduce or eliminate the need for concrete entirely. I remember you guys doing a video on using treated wood in building skyscrapers; I'm kinda surprised you didn't mention that. There are also aesthetic considerations. Concrete is very utilitarian, but it's just ugly. Hopefully by employing more diverse materials, buildings can stop looking like big blocks of rock and glass and more like something designed for humans and not businesses.

[@UltimateAlgorithm]

When your alternative methods are implemented, make sure you live in that building first. If you survive living there for at least 10 years, then people will start taking interest in your alternative idea.

[@LAK253]

@2:33 the train was the first one to take an older route that had just reopened it was between Nisqually and Dupont in Wa.

[@MrMikahT]

We need to figure out the exact ingrediants the egyptians used to make their structures. Possible geopolymers

[@kevinconrad6156]

Limestone.

[@mufasaiam7794]

Modern day concrete is better than anything ancient Romans or Egyptians built

[@JennySimon206]

Geopolymer Institute channel is fantastic. He gives you the recipe. Also Puma Punku they used rubber in the geopolymer

[@MrMikahT]

@@mufasaiam7794 I wouldn't say better but different, yes. Depending on the application. Our concrete won't last nearly as long as the predynastic period or Roman era. Until we invent something new

[@UltimateAlgorithm]

Their building designs are inefficient in terms of space. Large structures just a some tiny rooms inside it.

[@dinnyesilva]

Adding metric measures would be appreciated!

[@stijndbr]

Question, you said that agriculture creates to most co2, does that take it into account that those plants also take up co2? Sorry a bit off topic, but im wondering

[@joshuaidugboe214]

But those plantsbare eatan or used as fuel so i dont think it would effect it that much

[@stijndbr]

@@joshuaidugboe214 okay okay, good point. But like a potatoplant, the plant isnt eaten, the potato is. So the plant isnt used for food or fuel, its left on the field. Doesnt that keep its carbon with it?

[@StonesAndBones2]

@@stijndbr Pretty sure it has been taken into account. The way we do things currently emits a lot of Co2 because we till the soil, the machinery of course, and fertilizers. If you want to know more you can research the "regenerative agriculture" movement which is able to actually sequester carbon. With theses two keywords, I'm pretty sure you will rapidly find your answers.

[@seneca983]

Some agriculture, like rice farming, often produces methane emissions. Methane is a stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

[@aidanw9378]

I work in condo construction. The waste a single job site produces is shocking. I'm talking a truck-sized load of trash every week, for a year and a half, for a 100 unit building

[@herpderpington6825]

"Beloved sprawling cities" [x]

[@tiga2001]

0:54 @Cheddar just wanted to point this out. In this supposed map of China, you also included the island of Taiwan, which is a separate country. Although guilty of its own focus on using concrete for city-building, Taiwan does not nearly suffer from the massive over-use of concrete that its neighbor, China does.

[@faustin289]

Taiwanese dwellers are Chinese though. Aside from politics, your comment doesn't add any value to this conversation....as is this!

[@tiga2001]

@@faustin289 Chinese in common usage, refers to someone from the PRC, which has never controlled Taiwan. I'm just letting people know that China's talking points doesn't reflect the world, despite its efforts

[@seneca983]

@@faustin289 Taiwan does also have Austronesian aborigines.

[@johnvance882]

I just got back from the Hoover Dam a few minutes ago!

[@kapuathompson6638]

What happens to structures if the concrete around them suddenly becomes permeable? Will that moister undermined them or would the moister content remain similar to existing levels?

[@pakopepefdez185]

2:51 and what are we gonna do Jeremy? please, concrete.

[@brucish]

Developed world can use concrete, the rest of the world cannot cause it’s unsustainable... that’s bull

[@emilywatt5126]

How I love these people who care more about humans in general than about each individual?

[@GamingMuchTerry]

I don't think that many people will be living in cities. Those of us who do currently (I live in Central London) are looking to move out. With the pandemic showing companies we can work at home, we don't need to be crammed in together anymore.

[@leovomend8789]

crazy to think every single hospital ever made uses the exact amount of sand

[@kirkmorrison6131]

Roman Concrete used volcanic ash

[@kirkmorrison6131]

@Symon Mailhot yep but ash they used is replaced in Portland Cement

[@kirkmorrison6131]

@Symon Mailhot a range of volcanoes in Italy for Rome and the heart of the Empire. I don't know what they used in the Province of Britannia. I assume they used imports. I am sorry but I don't know as I haven't read a archeological paper on that just Rome.

[@tannerrobinson5110]

As a Minnesotan *Laughs in Freeze-Thaw cycles.*

[@sm3675]

Dies in laughter as a Canadian.

[@KDH-br6hy]

What

[@jorgenvids9338]

There are gravel pits near a town i visit often and its ugly as hell. But since im a skateboarder i love seeing good smooth concrete

[@alexm7023]

3:15 "the world is running out of sand" Sahara desert: "Am I a joke to you?"

[@jKLa]

When this says 60% of development on land urban by 2030 is yet to be built, I believe that actually only refers to land that is NOT currently yet urbanized. The idea that 60% of all developed land in 2030 will be built in only the next ten years is absurd nonsense.

[@MBRAND-ui8qn]

Bruh we can just get more sand for the moon. Problem solved. 💯💯

[@tudorjason]

2:32 - This train derailment was in 2017 near Dupont, WA. Speed caused this crash, not any type of failure from concrete.

[@BogdanSerban]

The water used in preparing concrete eventually evaporates and goes back into the nature. Also, cured concrete degrades easily once exposed to water so it might actually be the most recyclable construction material after wood. It basically reduces to its basic elements - sand and gravel.

[@jevinday]

"Kaaaahncrete"

[@MrMAKFoto]

lot of concrete footprint can be reduced by using clay bricks and recycled materials but concrete is also vital for construction.

[@ELPRES1DENTE45]

It's probably one of the biggest crises we have coming after oil's finite supplies drying up. Like oil, we seriously need to come up with a sufficient substitute, sooner than later. Renewable energies are thankfully easy to implement.

[@andrewwinkenwerder5258]

Does hemp concrete take as much energy and materials to make?

[@jredmondson2459]

4:26 ... the energy industry is by far and away the number 1 producer of CO2

[@andreanari3341]

22℉? Use the metric system too!

[@wagner000032]

At 8:07 what city is showed ?

[@MrBoliao98]

You should see HK using Sea water for concrete during water ratioining. Concrete, I mean you should see Singapore how we handle it. Most of the debris is used for land reclamation. For heat island it's mitigated with tree planting and grass.

[@seneca983]

Doesn't that accelerate the corrosion of the rebar?

[@MrBoliao98]

@@seneca983 precisely and so those 60 year old buildings have serious concrete spalling issues. Dodgy contractors during water rationing used seawater to mix the concrete and so this is quite the sight.

[@jerbearlopezissexyaf]

yo cheddar let me pump my gas in peace, i dont want to hear about tik tok on the stupid gas pumps when im just trying to get gas

[@chadwickhjones]

Thumbs down on this video. So much incorrect information here.

[@insertchannelnamehere8685]

Can you elaborate? What's incorrect?

[@wrightgregson9761]

Viet Nam dredges the Mekong delta for sand on an enormous scale. They used to sell a lot to Singapore for land creation. But several years ago they stopped exporting and now use the sand only domestically i believe.

[@bigglizzyman4691]

1:34 if you look at the corner to the right of the middle of the building you can see an optical illision where the square below it turns black.

[@dragancrnogorac3851]

Concrete is the easiest thing on planet earth to recycle. Just grind thig to smaller pieces and use again

[@CZsWorld]

I love that cheddar always does environmental videos 😍

[@dusanpredic5274]

I didn’t know you watched cheddar lol

[@williemherbert1456]

Reduce the water percentage in its mixing process to create concrete, that's how to make concrete-based structure to last so much longer, it will decrease the number of water pockets inside it and won't causing break troughs when its evaporated causing pressure from inside.

[@dawfydd]

What are the alternatives though, we could start using plastics and wood flooring in some places but concrete would need to be the base material if not somewhat mixed with steel for foundations. On top of that you could have a street made of other material but.. plastic melts under the suns rays, wood chips and splinters, it'd be hard pressed to find a type of solid rock you could turn into straight footpath, perhaps bricks but i assume their construction is kind of similar, So we are back to.. walking on grass? but when it rains its muddy slippery and dangerous, its uneven at the best of times which isn't bad for a walk but over time isn't great either. Even having dirt paths in the grass isn't ideal as sharp rocks popup out of nowhere sometimes with the wear of the ground, so you'd have to dig up the ground pack it properly make sure it was free of most disturbances, you could then i guess mix it with other material sawdust/etc to try to keep it as dry as possible but even the best dirt paths under substantial downpour become nightmares. The best we can really do is limit the materials inside buildings and around our cities, do we need concrete rubbish bins, while they might seem to be better in the long run a replaceable metal and plastic frame would be kinder. It also means we as a species kind of have to start thinking properly about public transport if we made a real effort to make it cheap and easy to use, as well as a well paying job we could reduce the number of cars on the roads, as for heavy trucks i don't know besides building their replacement we could try to attempt to make more use of trains and the infrastructure we already have which would take less work to keep running than replace. Trying to use more local food stop buying overseas for $5 savings etc.. all these kinds of things would help but at the same time local businesses MUST make proper effort to get what people want for reasonable prices, they have to earn a living sure but if we buy overseas they just end up putting up prices and going out of business anyway.

[@conallboyle2852]

Missing the point entirely! Demand for concrete isn't for cities, roads, paving. Demand is by people wanting the decent lives to which we are all entitled. Reduce the demanders of concrete (as the Chinese did) is the FIRST step, not some magic lo-carb techno-fix.

[@driverslqqk7940]

Even more crazy we're running out of water as it starts raining. You just reminded me not to watch your videos they make no sense.

[@Noctem_pasa]

??? Are you denying the existence of water scarcity because it's raining

[@red2theelectricboogaloo961]

what the fuck dude. really? "the climate is changing yet it snowed today" despite the fact that every major science organization agrees the temperature has risen 1.5 degrees or so since the beginning of the industrial rev. "water scarcity is a problem yet it rained today" despite the fact that pretty much every major science organization agrees that water insecurity is a major global issue and many cities are already starting to ration water... are you really just going to deny everything that isn't RIGHT at your doorstep?

[@smallstudiodesign]

What are our alternatives? One of the things to consider is less poured in place concrete & more precast concrete panels that can possibly be reused should a building need retrofitting or demolition. For vertical circulation and structure ... reinforced concrete still remains critical in creating strong support. The issues of changing its very chemical compound and finding ways of mitigating its emission of carbon dioxide is imperative. Also, revisiting the use of renewable sources for building materials, like wood 🪵 (although counterintuitive) offers a part of the solution to some alternatives we could use to construct larger buildings with ?

[@RyuuTenno]

so, are we not recycling the concrete to help make more concrete? I was under the impression that's what was going on. And, if not, why? We do that with asphalt, so, why not concrete? And, that said, what's to stop us from using recycled concrete within asphalt to lower the amount of materials used in road making? However, i do think the ideas of using carbon as the binding agent, and lower temps would be great overall, simply because, carbon's more abundant than water, and because, lower temps, means less work needed to reduce the temp within the facility. This part contributes greatly, due to the fact that, lower temps mean less energy needed to reduce it, less energy means lower power bill, and that leads into less use of the power source, thus, reducing costs completely across the board. Something i think everyone along the chain would greatly appreciate.