Earth Equity News

96% of Rare Earth Minerals Come from China. By Keith Bradsher, NYTimes, 12/15/10. “The United States is too reliant on China for minerals crucial to new clean energy technologies, making the American economy vulnerable to shortages of materials needed for a range of green products -- from compact fluorescent light bulbs to electric cars to giant wind turbines. So warns a detailed report [PDF, 171 pp] to be released on Wednesday morning by the United States Energy Department. The report, which predicts that it could take 15 years to break American dependence on Chinese supplies, calls for the nation to increase research and expand diplomatic contacts to find alternative sources, and to develop ways to recycle the minerals or replace them with other materials. At least 96% of the most crucial types of the so-called rare earth minerals are now produced in China, and Beijing has wielded various export controls to limit the minerals’ supply to other countries while favoring its own manufacturers that use them.”