Increasing material efficiencies of buildings to address the global sand crisis

There is a rapidly unfolding sand supply crisis in meeting growing material needs for infrastructure. We find a ~45% increase in global building sand use from 2020 to 2060 under a middle-of-the-road baseline scenario, with a 300% increase across low-and-lower-middle-income regions and a slight decrease in higher-income regions. Half of this demand may be avoidable using several material efficiency strategies in concert. International cooperation is essential for addressing vulnerabilities and inequalities.