Rare Earths

Some of the world's greenest technologies are made possible by rare earths, an unusual group of elements in fast rising demand. A major concern, however, is that rare earths come almost all from China -- from some of the most environmentally damaging mines in the country.

At a shut down rare earths mine near Guyun village in southeastern China, the environmental damage was apparent: Red-brown scars of barren clay ran down narrow valleys; the topsoil was scraped off and acids...
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Some of the world's greenest technologies are made possible by rare earths, an unusual group of elements in fast rising demand. A major concern, however, is that rare earths come almost all from China -- from some of the most environmentally damaging mines in the country.

At a shut down rare earths mine near Guyun village in southeastern China, the environmental damage was apparent: Red-brown scars of barren clay ran down narrow valleys; the topsoil was scraped off and acids applied for extracting the elements. The acids ended up in streams and rivers, destroying rice paddies and fish farms and tainting water supplies.

In three years, the mine exhausted the local deposit of heavy rare earths. A decade after the mine closed, no one has tried to revive the downstream rice fields.
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