What would happen if the production of laptops, cellphones, and MP3 players suddenly halted? Oh, and no more hybrid electric vehicles and MRI machines? It probably won’t happen, of course, but the fact that it could is scary enough. A single country, China, mines more than 95 percent of the world’s supply of rare earth metals, found in permanent magnets, phosphors, lasers, capacitors, and superconductors.
That’s not to say that China has all the deposits. In fact, most of the 17 elements in this group aren’t rare at all. They got their name because the ores in which they’re found are notoriously difficult to extract from Earth’s crust. It’s expensive to mine them in the United States, Europe, and other places with relatively strict environmental laws. China, with fewer such scruples, has been able to flood the market. In 1992, the price of ore containing these elements plummeted, and Molycorp Minerals, in Greenwood, Colo., the owner of the largest U.S. repository of rare earth metals, stopped digging.
As recently as 2004, China used less than half of the rare earth metals it produced. But according to an estimate by the Industrial Minerals Co. of Australia, in Mount Claremont, China’s domestic demand will overtake its production in less than 10 years. Now Beijing is considering banning exports of some rare earth elements and limiting shipments of others to 35 000 metric tons a year, which would immediately threaten not just electronics manufacturing across the globe but also hybrid vehicles. A Toyota Prius, for example, requires about a kilogram of neodymium for its electric motor and as much as 15 kg of lanthanum for its battery pack.
This article is a bit of a puff piece for Molycorp but it does raise an interesting issue.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why China is taking over Africa, one contract at a time. Africa is going to be stripped bare and left a hollow husk when they are done.
#1 Antarctica could well be next
When a foreign country has a monopoly of a primary mineral or energy commodity, the US media label it a “world supply risk”. But when it resides in the USA it’s a “secure resource”.
This is really a fact that china is come out as major player in electronics item it is top of the word in this segment.I am thankful to you for sharing this one with me.
While the Cheney administration was funding wars with our national treasure, China was planning for the real war – the economic one.
The sheeple will never understand a decade lost with the Cheney regime was a decade gained by China.
The question is – will Obama’s effort to refocus attention on our future regain the ground lost? I hope so but unlikely.
Cheney and his monkey Bush should be tried for treason.
Dullest, you forgot to mention a few tired cliches like Halliburton and Chimpy.
Dallas, you really need to learn to let it go or seek some professional help.
You can’t keep blamming everything on Bush and Company.
You need to come to grips with the truth that the Democrats were complicit in just about everything.
#8 You need to come to grips with the truth that the Democrats were complicit in just about everything.
Ah, the old “You didn’t stop us from doing stupid and foolish and harmful things so it’s your fault” defense.
I think that might have worked for me once, back in elementary school.
#7 , #8 …Ahh yes, the GOP apologist sweepers.
When are you going to clean out what’s under the rug? You can only sweep so much shit in there.
Damn it, can’t you guys lay off of politics for a while. Think about this, you elected them, so the blood is on your hands as well. It’s our government, we collectively must take the blame. Since China is making all the crap, is it surprising they get the raw products? Fox, MSNBC, CNN, and even Comedy Central is setting the whole nation nuts. Not that they needed to push too hard.
#11 Well good for you little pedro, you actually tried to express a coherent thought! Excellent!
I see you’re trying the old “Yeah the Republicans are bad but the Democrats are just as bad” tactic. Pretty tough to be a wingnut these days when that’s your best defense of the Republican party, eh?
I could run thru the standard list of refutations (Would Gore have started the Iraq war? Would Democrats have endorsed torture?) but I don’t want to rain on your parade. Good boy, actually trying to contribute to the discussion! 🙂
Let’s arm-wrestle them for it.
#14 lol Buzz, that’ll do it 🙂
#13 At least I stand for something and call wrong to the carpet. You’re nothing but a big ZERO.
Your usual “oh all parties are shit, blah blah” is about as insightful as what an eight year old would say just to open its mouth.
Criticism of BOTH parties now is the Republican sheeple form of admitting their party sucks and guilt for voting in disaster for nearly a decade.
Well, by that time, *all* those stuff will be made in China anyway .
We should start mining in Pandora.
Nuke the Na’vi from orbit first, then mine the planet down to the core.
You must see Avatar – you will obey.
# 5 Eric:
“Lloks like it’s time to start mining the landfills for Walkman headphones and MFM hard drives. That layer from the 1980s is going to be a goldmine.”
Yes! Also, everyone should recycle all their subwoofers! (I’m tired of hearing only the bass line from all my neighbors’ music! BOOMP boomp BOOMP boomp BOOMP boomp BOOMP boomp BOOMP boomboomboomBOOMP boomp…)
#20 You’re such a moron, you actually called yourself out as a Double Moron.
LOL
You don’t fail to amuse Pedrito. How are those tortillas coming along?
We have entered the realm of religious argumentation of the finest distinctions when we contest which party is worse.
“Can’t we all just get along?”===and VOTE ALL INCUMBENTS OUT OF OFFICE? Just for 3-4 cycles until just “maybe” the pols seek election by appealing to voters instead of money?
Heh, heh. It is subtle. I would never have thought that by being uniformly and constantly incompetent and corrupt would be the sure way to assure continuation in office for 95% of any group.
Makes you wonder what the critical error is when democracy, illiteracy and religion combine.
Nice update but not recent news. China has been buying land for resources for years and years now. Africa for example is a prime real estate for China. And while they have the money to spend, they’ll spend it buying and using other countries resources first before theirs. Makes sense to me. US has…umm, oil reserves and umm…horny politicians?
This is why proper recycling is so important.
What happens if laptops stop being produced? People will take better care of their existing laptops. Soviet cars lasted many years longer than American ones.
The new cell phones are bad anyway.
To expand on the mining trash comment.
#27 Nice invention, Pedrito. Great for those underwater phone calls consumers are demanding.
What else did you find?
The US likes to claim it is a super power but if China decided to cut off the supply of needed parts we would have a low tech military in a hurry. The same is true for other critical parts from other countries.
A country dependent on imports is only a super power as long as the other countries are willing to go along with the joke.
Environmental regulations shutting down US business and moving it to China???
I am shocked! Shocked to hear this?
Who could have guessed?