Concrete - a podcast by BBC World Service

It's improved health, school attendance, agricultural productivity and farm worker wages, but concrete has a poor reputation. It takes a lot of energy to produce and releases a great deal of CO2 in the process. However, architects appreciate its versatility and there are few more important inventions. Tim Harford tells the remarkable hidden story of a ubiquitous, unloved material.

(Image: Masons hands spread concrete, Credit: APGuide/Shutterstock)

Further episodes of 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

Further podcasts by BBC World Service

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