Rare earth metals aren’t even rare though. They are just not found in concentrated form like gold. And metallurgists in the past had a hard time isolating the metals that’s why they called them rare.
It’s just that China can mine them cheaply since the Chinese government doesn’t care about labor rights and the environment. Europe and Australia has rare earth metal deposits.
The US has deposits too. Some of the ones our military equipment needs most are found in Zinc mines and we let our refinery capability for them lapse in the 1990’s. So all we actually need to do is get a refinery built.
Rare earth metals aren’t even rare though. They are just not found in concentrated form like gold. And metallurgists in the past had a hard time isolating the metals that’s why they called them rare.
It’s just that China can mine them cheaply since the Chinese government doesn’t care about labor rights and the environment. Europe and Australia has rare earth metal deposits.
Europe and Australia do, but honestly, as a European, I’d rather trade with China than the US right now. Even though both are shit.
Why are we always having to choose the lesser of 2 evils! Where’s the fkn good option!!!
Europe?
Have you met an Australian recently?
The US has deposits too. Some of the ones our military equipment needs most are found in Zinc mines and we let our refinery capability for them lapse in the 1990’s. So all we actually need to do is get a refinery built.
Yep just build a refinery over the Easter long weekend
It won’t take a super long time either once they plonk the “national security needs” tag on it to make it immune to impact assessments and such.
And that’s why all labour rights should be dropped!