Rare earths are a specific category of critical minerals crucial for defence, auto and electronic industries that have become a flashpoint in diplomacy and trade
Critical minerals are vital for the global economy and include nickel, manganese and cobalt.
Rare earths are a specific, highly useful category of critical minerals that are used to make magnets essential for the auto, electronic and defence industries, as well as in renewable energy. Securing reserves and production of rare earths has become a flashpoint in global diplomacy and trade.
Rare earths are a group of 17 heavy metals that are abundant throughout the Earth’s crust. The United States Geological Survey estimated in 2024 there were 110m tonnes of deposits worldwide. That includes 44m in China – by far the world’s largest producer. Vietnam, Brazil, Russia and India also have significant deposits.
But mining them requires heavy chemical use that results in toxic waste and has caused several environmental disasters. Production costs are also high.
