Trucks wait to load containers at the port of Los Angeles, California, the United States, on Oct. 22, 2021. (Xinhua)
Supply chain disruptions have thrown the rubber industry into a tailspin. Rubber producers are facing climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, a destructive fungus and the fight for shipping containers.
NEW YORK, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The United States is experiencing a shortage in rubber, sand and people, said CNBC Africa on Wednesday in its report titled "Why The U.S. Is Running Out Of Everything."
"Supply chain disruptions have thrown the rubber industry into a tailspin," said the report. "Rubber producers are facing climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, a destructive fungus and the fight for shipping containers."
The world, including the United States, could soon face a shortage of sand -- in the last 20 years, use of this crucial, under-appreciated commodity around the world has tripled, much faster than the rate at which sand is being replenished, according to the report.
Additionally, the United States is facing an aging population, falling birth rate and economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, said the report, adding that "these issues will have huge implications on the size of the workforce and the consumer base." ■
