Key points
- Environmental costs threaten clean energy goals
- Nations diversify supply and recycling efforts
ISLAMABAD: As the world races toward a carbon-free future, a troubling contradiction emerges — the clean energy revolution depends on some of the dirtiest industries on Earth.
From rare earth mining in China to toxic waste sites in Africa, the materials powering wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicles come at an immense environmental cost. The quest for a greener planet, it seems, still runs through the world’s mines.
These so-called “rare earths” are essential for magnets in wind turbines, motors in electric vehicles, and components in solar panels and electronics. A field study by the International Gem Society shows how control over rare earth mining and processing has become a strategic layer in global competition.
China currently dominates about 70% of global mining and over 90% of refining capacity, giving it outsized influence over global technology supply chains.
In recent days, Beijing tightened restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals and related technologies, citing “national security” concerns — a move seen by many as a bid to assert leverage over high-tech industries worldwide.
Risks and trade-offs
Mining rare earths comes with steep costs. Environmental damage, toxic byproducts, water contamination, and ecosystem disruption are commonly reported in mining regions. The paradox is stark: the materials that power the clean energy narrative may carry a legacy of ecological harm.
Countries lacking domestic reserves are increasingly vulnerable to supply shocks and leverage from dominant players. The concentration of processing capacity in a few hands makes global supply chains fragile and politicised.
Emerging responses
To reduce dependence, nations and industry players are diversifying their supply sources and investing in alternative or secondary extraction techniques. Some are focusing on recycling rare earths from electronic waste or using regional deposits that were previously uneconomical.
Another shift is the pursuit of “cleaner mining protocols”, emphasising reduced emissions, less waste, and stricter environmental standards — but these often raise costs.
The clean energy future, paradoxically, hinges on how well the world manages the trade-offs in rare earth mining. Unless supply chains become more equitable, diverse, and sustainable, the push for green technologies may sow new fractures in geopolitics and ecology.
