Race for rare earths sparks concern about environmental damage

{"text":[[{"start":6.7,"text":"More than 6,000 people living near a mine in Madagascar are locked in a dispute with Rio Tinto over alleged environmental damage linked to the extraction of a rare earth mineral key to modern industries. "}],[{"start":19.45,"text":"They have accused the mining group’s subsidiary QIT Madagascar Minerals of contaminating waterways with hazardous materials, including uranium, through the extraction of ilmenite, used in paints, and the rare earth mineral monazite, which contains the radioactive element. "}],[{"start":36.2,"text":"“There’s so much dust,” said Claudin, a farmer in his thirties who did not want to give his full name. "}],[{"start":42.45,"text":"Donne, a fisherman, said fish numbers in the local river had fallen significantly. “It’s killing our children and killing everything around the mine,” he told the FT."}],[{"start":53,"text":"The long-running dispute highlights the legal and moral risks facing companies as they intensify efforts to open rare earth mines, a push that has led to a rush of deals as the west seeks to loosen China’s grip on the sector."}],[{"start":65.95,"text":"Western nations see dependence on China for the metals — vital components of magnets that go into electric vehicles, wind turbines and defence systems — as a national security threat. Their concerns were heightened when Beijing imposed new export controls last year."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":81.60000000000001,"text":"The production of rare earths has also long been linked with environmental damage, which has led to pushback from communities and non-profit organisations over operations in other countries, including Myanmar and Malaysia."}],[{"start":94.65,"text":"UK law firm Leigh Day, representing the Madagascan villagers, said their lawsuit would be filed this year unless the parties reach an agreement. "}],[{"start":102.85000000000001,"text":"Rio disputes the allegations and said its handling of monazite was “compliant with legal and regulatory obligations” and that it had commissioned studies that showed the mine’s contribution to radiation was “below national and international regulatory limits”. "}],[{"start":117.05000000000001,"text":"“Our focus remains on engaging directly with the local community to hear any concerns they have and address them as soon as possible,” the company told the FT on Friday."}],[{"start":126.95000000000002,"text":"The monazite that is extracted as a byproduct of the ilmenite production at the mine in Madagascar is exported to China."}],[{"start":134.65,"text":"Analysts said companies developing new rare earth mines needed to be mindful of past mistakes. "}],[{"start":140.95000000000002,"text":"In the US, previous owners of a mine now operated by MP Materials — in which the Trump administration invested last year — were held responsible for spills of hundreds of thousands of gallons of hazardous waste in the 1980s and 1990s. "}],[{"start":155.15,"text":"Among the industry’s most controversial practices is the so-called in situ leaching used in Myanmar, a major producing nation, where chemicals are injected into the sides of mountains to pull rare earths out of clays as they spill downwards. "}],[{"start":169.4,"text":"Global Witness, which campaigns against environmental destruction, has linked the process with the acidification of water systems, deaths of animals and fish, as well as damage to farmland and vegetation. "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":182.20000000000002,"text":"Constantine Karayannopoulos, an industry veteran, said the practice was “the biggest black mark on the rare earths industry”."}],[{"start":190.00000000000003,"text":"Other analysts said there was little appetite among western investors for new in situ leaching but noted that because it was much cheaper, it made it hard for alternative methods to be competitive."}],[{"start":200.55000000000004,"text":"Rather than leaching mountains, Brazilian rare earths miner Serra Verde uses a method that involves mining the ore and then processing it chemically above ground in a refining plant."}],[{"start":211.90000000000003,"text":"But the cost of doing so is a “big obstacle to being competitive”, said chief executive Thras Moraitis. Insufficient alternatives to Chinese and Myanmar production meant many buyers were “not asking questions” about how materials were produced, he added."}],[{"start":227.65000000000003,"text":"US government-backed USA Rare Earth in April announced plans to buy Serra Verde for $2.8bn. The Brazilian group has also struck a 15-year supply deal with an entity backed by US government agencies, which will buy much of its initial production at a minimum guaranteed price."}],[{"start":244.65000000000003,"text":"The risk of potentially dangerous radioactive waste was generally greater for developers of hard-rock rare earth projects rather than clay ones, experts said. "}],[{"start":253.60000000000002,"text":"The rocks often naturally contain radioactive elements such as uranium and thorium, and the mining and separation process can concentrate them alongside the rare earths. Low-level radioactive material can then end up in waste, which has been linked to “increasing cases of cancer and other health problems” in areas where it has not been contained correctly, according to market intelligence group Project Blue."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":274.70000000000005,"text":"Moreover, watchdogs did not always have the necessary expertise to monitor threats, said Gavin Mudd, director of the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre at the British Geological Survey. "}],[{"start":287.20000000000005,"text":"“Part of the problem is that mining regulators are not as well equipped to deal with this as they should be,” he said. "}],[{"start":293.40000000000003,"text":"Radioactive elements “decay” and emit radiation over time, meaning material that appeared “only marginally more [radioactive] than average soil” could still pose risks during that process, said Mudd. But he stressed that the risks were low “as long as you keep waste isolated and dust management under control”."}],[{"start":313.85,"text":"MP, a hard rock miner, said it had low levels of naturally occurring radioactive material in its ore. Australia’s Lynas Rare Earths, the largest non-Chinese producer, said monitoring at its Malaysian processing plant showed “no effect on the environment and no increase in background radiation” in more than a decade."}],[{"start":332.40000000000003,"text":"Karayannopoulos, the industry veteran, said the environmental impact of rare earths was generally “no worse than of any other resource”. "}],[{"start":340.6,"text":"But, he warned: “If you’re not careful and not operating within a set of rules that are enforced, the more unscrupulous among us will take advantage.”"}],[{"start":355.6,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1780207420_5231.mp3"}