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It might in fact decrease pollution. Western powers will have to open up local national mines (those rare earths aren't so rare as people think). With tougher r
by holoduke 7y ago
It might in fact decrease pollution. Western powers will have to open up local national mines (those rare earths aren't so rare as people think). With tougher regulations regarding environment. At a significant cost of course.
- curiousgal 7y agoThe current U.S. administration is nothing but outright hostile against the environment. Those regulations will be laxed and nothing good will come out of this.
- programmarchy 7y agoDo you think Chinese mines would pollute less than US mines? How many environmental activists do you think exist in China?
- pastullo 7y agoThat's a fair point. I guess a mine like Mountain Pass in California would still be a much cleaner site than a chinese mine, even though the EPA is now a clown agency basically. Anyone can confirm this?
- killjoywashere 7y agoHank Paulson indicated in his book, "Dealing with China" that there is actually a respectable current of environmentalism in China, anchored in the Buddist and Confuscian past.
- 08-15 7y agoIt's nearly impossible to mine lanthanides in the west. The problem is that they are invariably associated with thorium, and thorium has been declared (in 1980 or thereabouts) to be a source material for nuclear explosives, even though it really isn't. Nobody wants to deal with the regulations around that, so all the lanthanide mines and refineries closed.