3 ms·

Its predominantly China's fault. They achieved a monopoly on rare earth metals by undercutting competitors by ignoring safety and environmental practices. Rar

by Khaine 6y ago

Its predominantly China's fault. They achieved a monopoly on rare earth metals by undercutting competitors by ignoring safety and environmental practices. Rare earth metals are not rare. They are common, but processing them safely without environmental impact is not cheap. Whenever competitors show up, China floods the market to push down prices to bankrupt them. The world needs to start putting environmental and social tariffs on Chinese goods, to force them to improve environmental standards, and put a stop to human rights abuses.

im3w1l 6y ago
> Whenever competitors show up, China floods the market to push down prices to bankrupt them. Maybe governments should take the opportunity to stockpile at that moment. Either the price rises keeping the competitors afloat or you have a nice stockpile. Either way you become immune to shenanigans.
08-15 6y ago
No, it's the Unites States' fault. In 1982 (iirc), the US decided that Thorium is a "source material" for nuclear weapons, even though it very clearly isn't. Since rare earth metals have chemistry very similar to Thorium, they tend to occur together. Anyone who mines REE, ends up with waste Thorium. It's just slightly radioactive, chemically inert sand, but by decree it is a "TENORM" (technically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material), and by decree, someone stealing it could theoretically build an atomic bomb from it, even though they can't in the real world. So because it's a TENORM, the waste can't go back into the same hole in the ground that it came from. And because it's a "source material", it has to be guarded. And the eventual disposal has to follow all sorts of regulations. All of that is so expensive, that nobody bothers anymore. China simply doesn't play these stupid games. That's why they are cheap.

3 ms·

Its predominantly China's fault. They achieved a monopoly on rare earth metals by undercutting competitors by ignoring safety and environmental practices. Rar

by Khaine 6y ago

im3w1l 6y ago
> Whenever competitors show up, China floods the market to push down prices to bankrupt them. Maybe governments should take the opportunity to stockpile at that moment. Either the price rises keeping the competitors afloat or you have a nice stockpile. Either way you become immune to shenanigans.
08-15 6y ago
No, it's the Unites States' fault. In 1982 (iirc), the US decided that Thorium is a "source material" for nuclear weapons, even though it very clearly isn't. Since rare earth metals have chemistry very similar to Thorium, they tend to occur together. Anyone who mines REE, ends up with waste Thorium. It's just slightly radioactive, chemically inert sand, but by decree it is a "TENORM" (technically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material), and by decree, someone stealing it could theoretically build an atomic bomb from it, even though they can't in the real world. So because it's a TENORM, the waste can't go back into the same hole in the ground that it came from. And because it's a "source material", it has to be guarded. And the eventual disposal has to follow all sorts of regulations. All of that is so expensive, that nobody bothers anymore. China simply doesn't play these stupid games. That's why they are cheap.