U.S. at risk of rare earths supply disruptions

U.S. at risk of rare earths supply disruptions

news.yahoo.com

The United States and other countries are worried that China, which controls 97 percent of the world trade in rare earth metals, will use those supplies as a political weapon and cut back their export when it is in a dispute with another country or to grow China's clean energy technology sector.

"The availability of a number of these materials is at risk due to their location, vulnerability to supply disruptions and lack of suitable substitutes," U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a report, due to be unveiled on Wednesday at a rare earth metals conference at the Center for Strategi

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How is it even possible that 1 country on this planet can control 97% of rare earth minerals?It seems that China does have a new super weapon and its called rare earth minerals.And how does this new bit of info affect the rest of the world? can China throw alotof countries back into pre-frontier days or do they slow up advancements in modern tech. both ways i think its something that should be kept up with.Wars have been fought for less reasons than this..............................

news.yahoo.com
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reply to post by alchemist2012


Well, here's something. 97% of the US's products are made from China. I would think it possible as a trade perhaps?

US gives China earthly products, China gives U.S, China made products. I'm not to sure about the other countries, but I believe China makes trades with most of the countries here. (Correct me if I'm wrong...)

reply to post by Matthewbe

I must agree with i do think i'm not sure but i do think that wal-mart has about 90% of its inventory from China,but as I speculated does this hamper future research and development

if they don´t `export´ then they don´t get paid !

reply to post by alchemist2012


I think they are just making what other people to tell them to make. But, I think I agree with them damaging future research.

I'm not so sure how Europe does in making their own products, but i've seen quite a few German toys, furniture, fabrics, etc. I think the things they make are a lot more high-tech and stronger, let alone, they dont put so much bio-chemical waste in products like China does. That place is full of factories. Their air is terrible aswell.

reply to post by linkshot1000


Who needs money when they have alot anyway,and they own the majority of rare minerals

reply to post by Matthewbe


But you must agree that if there is a disruption of rare earth mins.that the future of U S weapons and medical research will greatly suffer due to the lack of mins.

reply to post by alchemist2012


they can´t pay their own people with minerals - they need to turn over cash for products.

reply to post by linkshot1000


I think they have that problem under control.

OK so what happens ?? China refuse to export minerals to the rest of the world, inturn the world stops to import things from China.

What happens next. The U.S. can´t develop MORE weaponry to force the world into submission and follow its lead.

China then threatens war and to take over the world, well I believe that they have the capacity to do so anyway.

So in order for everything to continue to run smoothly, things will need to continue pretty much as it is with import/export to and from China as it is.

I´d be pretty sure if it came to it the minerals could be found in other places too.

reply to post by linkshot1000


Yes there is a chance it could go this way,Maybe not.But i don't think that The U S is using its weapons and tech to make other places suffer that is a Nhilist remark.The U S has helped many of countries.As I am not happen with the current situation of the U S.But as a whole american people are some of the best folks around we all have our issues to deal with but to make the point we are a country bent on world domination is not right.

Starred and flagged Alchemist. This is serious strategic and tech issue, potentially with huge impact on the US and many other countries.

reply to post by alchemist2012


Hey .. you read me wrong ! I´m not having a go at "Joe Public" and yes the American people I have met are great people. How-ever the people don´t run your country, your goverment does.

I feel that the Goverment of the USA has enough issues of its own to contend with before taking on all global issues as well.

China refusing to export anything is very, very unlikely until will stop using money as currency.

When that happens then you might have a problem.

reply to post by alchemist2012


The problem would then be that they sit on mega supplies of other products which they sell to everyone and that create their economic/job base.

They need trade and buyers and if this was a risk it would be a risk to them as well.

reply to post by linkshot1000


Don't read me wrong friend I agree with your post, and yes Our current admin.is Poop and the common man does not run the Government but i do agree with you about the latter part of your post....and is nice to hear another side of each idea I look forward to many talks with you my friend

reply to post by antar


But when dealing with rare mins. they will never be sat upon countries will scream and holler and make strange deals to obtain what they feel is needed to continue the growth of there nation so as far as china stockpiling them i dont see it

yay for china.
they get US back for the oil.
and if the rest of the world recycles they will be ok for some time.
and we just need to find substitutes.
let science grow.
its not as is china has just started this.
the world has let them take the worlds stock of materials.
they have been storing steel and aluminium for some time.
some long term plan? I wonder what they are up to?
just waiting for the rest of the world to squander all they have?

This has been a concern I have been hearing for some time... but it does appear to be escalating some now. Rare Earth (RE) elements are the very basis for technological improvements. Here is a small list:

• Scandium is used as an alloying agent with aluminum to make aerospace materials.
  
• Yttrium is used in the production of LEDs and phosphors used in monitors.
  
• Lanthanum us used for camera lenses and in high-tech battery applications.
  
• Praseodymium, Neodymium, Gadolinium, Dysprosium, and Samarium are used in high-flux magnets and lasers.
  
• Europium is also used in lasers, as well as in mercury-vapor lighting and phosphors.
  
• Gadolinium is also used in computer memory chips.
  
• Terbium, Erbium, Holmium, and Ytterbium are used in laser applications.
  
• Thulium is used in portable X-ray machines.

In short, practically every technology used today requires at least one of these materials, from space exploration and satelite technology, to lasers, to electronics, to cutting-edge battery technology to power electric and hybrid vehicles. They are widely found (in minute quantities), but only China has been willing to mine and refine them at the expense of its environment. Now that China is starting to clean up its act, there are less materials for other countries.

We will soon be faced with a choice: abandon all modern technology, or accept the environmental hazards that come with refinement of rare-earth metals.

And to the poster above... there are no replacements. Dreaming and hoping there are does not make it so.

TheRedneck

wow ...!! I think we´ve all been put in are place by the moderators knowledge in the above post.

I´t would seem that the future doesn´t have a very bright prospective as all of the Earths resources become less and less.

With more people and less resources something has got to give ! what the hell will this planet be like in the future ? ..... wait a minute ..... don´t answer that one.