The Rare Earth Revolution: Powering the Future

Rare earth metals are crucial in today’s technology, powering devices from smartphones to wind turbines. Despite their name, they are relatively common but hard to mine and process. China dominates production, influencing global supply. The industry faces environmental and health challenges due to the extraction and processing techniques used.

Rare earth metals are in the spotlight as the demand surges for electronic devices and renewable energy solutions. These 17 elements are essential for manufacturing consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and military hardware. As governments look to secure their supply chains, the global focus has sharpened on these resources.

China controls a significant portion of the world's rare earth production, supplying about 60% of the mined elements and 90% of the processed output. This dominance allows Beijing to influence global supply chains through its quotas on production and export, causing worldwide ripple effects in several industries.

Despite their misleading name, rare earths are not scarce but are hard to extract as they are dispersed in low concentrations worldwide. The extraction and processing pose environmental challenges, including toxic waste production. The industry is under pressure to adopt more environmentally friendly practices, making it a focal point for future innovation.

(With inputs from agencies.)