Central Asia Emerges as Epicenter of Rare Earth Mineral Rush

Securing reliable and strategic supply chains for rare earth minerals has become a geopolitical battleground for world superpowers in the intensifying context of the global clean energy transition. Decarbonizing the global economy will require unfathomable amounts of clean energy infrastructure from solar panels and wind turbines to lithium-ion batteries for energy storage and to power electric vehicles. All of these are going to require a whole heck of a lot of primary materials, and especially metals, many of which fall under the category of…