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I haven't looked into the other metals they mention, but wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium) says that the
by viggity 17y ago
I haven't looked into the other metals they mention, but wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium) says that there is an estimated 8 Million tonnes of neodymium reserves in the earth, and that current extraction is 7000 tonnes per year.
I wonder what the is the cause of the discrepancy between wikipedia and the article.
- mcantor 17y agoI Am Not An Economist, but maybe it's because those 7,000 tonnes are all being extracted in China, and they are ratcheting down on exports.
- jcl 17y agoThe headline is somewhat misleading. Rare earth metals are rare in approximately the same way that noble gases have superior moral qualities. Likewise, the shortage mentioned in the article hasn't happened yet. And it might never happen, since -- as the article says -- extraction is increasing to meet the anticipated increase in demand.