, Columnist
The World’s Second-Most Used Material Needs a Makeover
Concrete accounts for a big percentage of carbon emissions. Alternatives are emerging, but red tape stands in the way.
A new design.
Photographer: Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images
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The modern world is held together not by romantic notions of trust or community (though they help), but by thick gray goo.
Concrete is the second-most consumed material on the planet after water. Strong, cheap and resilient, it’s made everywhere and used for pretty much everything. From hospitals and bridges to dams and pavements, if it’s infrastructure, you’ll probably need concrete for it.