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Only because the extraction process is dirty and we aren't willing to do it as cheaply. Waste from mining other minerals is rich in REMs, and deposits are plent
by hkt 5y ago
Only because the extraction process is dirty and we aren't willing to do it as cheaply. Waste from mining other minerals is rich in REMs, and deposits are plentiful. "Rare" is actually a misnomer:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2010/06/15/are-rare-earth-elements-actually-rare/ https://foreignpolicy.com/2010/06/15/are-rare-earth-elements...
- aaaaaaaaaaab 5y agoSo it's pretty much like Uranium then. It's not rare, but we outsource its mining to autocratic regimes, because they're willing to produce it cheaply (while destroying their environment).
- hkt 5y agoPretty much. Worth shouting out that it is also sourced in former colonies that still have major dependencies on their old imperial masters. Niger/France have this relationship and Niger produces the majority of uranium used by the French nuclear industry.