Rare earth elements, which comprise 17 minerals, are used in many different kinds of digital, transportation, medical, and military technologies. They also play a major role in renewable energy technology like wind turbines and electric car batteries. The expansion of these industries has increased the need for a range of critical components, including REE. However, the extraction of these minerals is causing considerable damage to the environment and to communities around the mining sites.

How essential are rare earth elements? Where are they found and who is mining them? Can recycling reduce demand, or can suitable substitutes be found?

Julie Klinger is the author of Rare Earth Frontiers: From Terrestrial Subsoils to Lunar Landscapes. She is a geographer at the University of Delaware and has done field research on rare earth elements in China, Brazil, and other countries.

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