Rare earths and other raw materials are key parts of the technology that people use every day: if you can turn it on and off, it probably has a rare earth in it. The paradox is that it’s very polluting to extract them, but they’re essential to develop the green energy of the future, as they’re crucial components of wind turbines and solar panels. Now there’s a global race to get access to them, and Europe plans to become less reliant on imports from China.
This programme is produced by the European platform ARTE and available in 10 languages through the European media partnership “EMOVE Hub”. The hub is coordinated by ARTE and includes Balkan Insight (BIRN), Sinopsis (BIRN Romania), El País (ES), Gazeta Wyborcza (PL), Internazionale (IT), Ir, (LV), Kathimerini (GR), Le Soir (BE) and Telex (HU). The partnership receives EU-funding following DG CNECT’s call for European Media Hubs within the framework of the EU’s Multimedia Actions.