Cennamology Chief Editor
Chances are almost certain that you have them in your pocket right now, or you are reading this article on devices that have parts composed almost entirely of these.
I am talking about the rare earth elements, which are a number metallic elements, most of which are in the Lanthanide series on the periodic table. These elements are used in a number of modern technological devices used by regular people and government agencies including smartphones, computer memory, catalytic converters, rechargeable batteries, night-vision goggles, and precision-guided weapons.
Although the rare earth elements (REEs) are not so "rare" in the sense of abundance (although many are indeed rare), they are instead called rare because they are extremely hard to find in quantities that can be easily and cheaply mined and extracted. Even the most common REEs are very difficult to mine.
The demand for REEs has exploded over the past decade, and it has been difficult for the known reserves to keep up with the increasing demand. With over 7 billion cell phones in the world and counting, the rise in demand for the REEs used in rechargeable batteries is staggering. And that's only one of many products that use REEs.
Electronics are made so that they have to be replaced every two to three years. For example, I got my first cell phone about eight years ago and am currently on my fourth phone. With almost every working American having a cell phone and a computer, this puts the reserves of REEs under considerable stress.
As Michael Klare states in his book The Race for What's Left, world conflict will be driven mostly by the availability of resources, as opposed to the ideologically-driven conflicts of the past few centuries. Klare goes on to say that REEs are one of the resources that will be the center of the international conflict of the future, as these resources will be in an even higher demand and will be even scarcer than oil.
Conflicts centered around the obscure elements near the bottom of the periodic table that you never bothered to memorize in high school chemistry? Well, these elements could be the resources that drive the international competition in our children's lifetime, and likely our lifetime as well.
Any conflict regarding REEs would likely center around the dominant producer and consumer of REEs - China. The U.S. is second, but is still very far behind China in terms of REEs production. If the world continues to have a clear dominant producer in REEs, it could be dangerous in the long run. If one country controls almost the entire world supply of a particular resource, then if that country ever makes a firm decision to stop exporting, the world would enter chaos.
According to Klare, “their absence would wreak havoc with much of modern industry, and governments around the world are taking urgent measures to ensure that their countries will not be left without these indispensable materials.” In 2010, China temporarily banned the export of REEs to Japan, which subsequently drove fear down the spine of the United States. If these rare earth elements are ever exhausted, or even made inaccessible to the United States, the new generation’s way of life will be drastically altered.
However, despite being the dominant producer, China actually holds only slightly over 50 percent of the world's reserves of REEs. This means that it is still possible for other countries, including the U.S. to come important producers also. The decline in American manufacturing over the past few decades could be partially attributed to the rise in use of REEs. However, with America being the world's second-largest producer, we could become self sufficient if we find more efficient ways to extract and conserve them.
Without REEs, the new generation’s dreams of transitioning to more environmentally-friendly technologies will be severely hampered. REEs are one of the primary building blocks of green technologies. Without them, we would be even more dependent on fossil fuels than we are now. This shows a connection with preserving REEs and transitioning away from fossil fuels. The latter is not possible without the former.
There are alternatives to REEs, but they mostly do not perform as well. It looks like conservation is the only way to slow down the depletion of the already-sparse reserves of REEs. This does not necessarily mean that you should avoid buying a new cell phone when your current one starts malfunctioning. Instead, the most successful method that has been used to conserve REEs is using less of them per product. This has already been done in magnets and many fluorescent lighting products. Electronics companies and automobile companies are still in the process of searching for viable alternatives to REEs for use in cell phones, catalytic converters, etc.
The demand of REEs is only expected to rise and rise, but new conservation methods must be explored, especially if America wants to be more self-sufficient and less dependent on China than it has been over the past few decades. While conflict between the United States and China is unlikely due to the dependence that each has on the other, tensions involving REEs should be of a concern.
However, there is one way you can help ease the demand for the extraction of REEs - recycling your old cell phones, cameras, car batteries, and anything that has a REE in it. Many people still do not know that their old electronic devices are recyclable, and just take them to the dump without even thinking about it. REEs are reusable and recyclable, so before you get your next smartphone, please recycle your old one. Your future may very well depend on it.