Lhe rare earths are mysterious metals: Terbium, samarium, cerium, gadolinium. They are little known, and yet very present in our daily lives. In our televisions, computers, telephones and even in our banknotes. Rare earths are the eldorado of the 21st century, the main raw material for industries today. With the shutdown of production in the USA, China has become the only producer of rare earths. The countries whose industries use these metals are fighting against this monopoly. The Rare Earth War is an investigation into an economic conflict with multiple consequences for the environment and the people who compose it: a dirty war. In 5 years, China's needs will exceed its own production. The Chinese are turning to a new strategy: importing. China, which had bet so much on this monopoly, is throwing in the towel: growing difficulty of extraction and above all pollution are forcing it to find the answer abroad. Everyone is looking for these rare earths that are ultimately not so rare: Deposits in Australia, Canada, under the Pacific Ocean and even on the moon. But, the real question concerns the enormous pollution that these metals generate during the various stages of transformation, and above all, when we note the increase in demand for this type of product.
Serge Turquier, Guillaume Pitron
The rare metal war: The hidden face of the energy and digital transition
🛒 I order mine 👇
Release Date | 2018-01-10T00:00:01Z |
Language | Français |
Number Of Pages | 296 |
Publication Date | 2018-01-10T00:00:01Z |