The US and others turn to Brazil for rare earths, raising environmental concerns

In the global race to secure rare earths that are key for everything from mobile phones to green technologies, Brazil is emerging as an alternative to China’s dominance, particularly for the United States and Australia, according to an analysis of mining permits by The Associated Press and Reporter Brasil. That could boost the economy of Latin America’s largest and most populous nation, which is second only to China in rare earth reserves. Foreign capital is rushing in. Nearly half of the 2,727 overall rare earth exploration applications — or 42% — in Brazil were made by subsidiaries of foreign mining […]