What are the small things you could go without?

? EARS TO THE GROUND-

Have you ever wondered what our lives would look like without certain things?Not big things like phones or the internet, but small and quietly important things like phosphorus or even coffee. This is the question Omar El Akkad asks in his podcast, Without, which delves into a world without things we take for granted. One episode discusses a world without sand, tracing sand’s importance and the (surprising) destructive consequences of its (also surprising) exploitation. Believe it or not, sand is the most consumed natural resource on Earth, second only to water. Without sand, we wouldn’t have asphalt, concrete, glass, or computer chips — all things we use on a daily basis. The scarcity of sand has led to the emergence of the so-called "sand mafia," a group willing to kill environmentalists, journalists, and government officials who obstruct their illegal sand mining activities. These intricacies make for a thought-provoking podcast that uncovers the significance of seemingly inconsequential elements in our lives. You can find Without on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audacy, and PodBean.