For decades, the lands rare they remained outside the public debate, restricted to the technical pages of geology and chemistry.
Now, they are in the geopolitical and economic spotlight after the likes of Greenland and China restricted their exports – in a clear response that targets American high-tech industry.
Despite the name, rare earths are not that rare. It is a group of 17 chemical elements, among them neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium and lanthanum, found in minerals such as monazite and xenothymium.
the term “bottom” refers to the separation and refining process, which is highly complex, polluting and expensive, which requires advanced technology and great environmental control.
These elements are present in practically all modern technology: cell phone screens, computers, wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles, missiles, radars and military fighters.
They are also essential in the energy transition, used in the production of permanent magnets for electric motors and generators, as well as high-density batteries.
The largest known reserves of rare earths are in China, Brazil, Vietnam, Russia and Australia, according to data from the United States Geological Survey.
Despite the resource being relatively well distributed across the planet, — from refining to the manufacture of high-value-added components.
Currently, around 60% of global mining occurs in Chinese territory. The most worrying data, however, is in the processing: 91% of all world refining is made by Chinese companies, which also produce 94% of magnets permanent materials used in turbines, engines and defense equipment.
The IEA (International Energy Agency) classified this concentration as a severe geopolitical risk, warning that Chinese dominance allows Beijing to influence prices, control access by competing countries and define the pace of advancement of strategic technologies, such as semiconductors, electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
The Chinese government’s recent decision to further restrict exports of these elements, now including products and components containing rare earths, has generated global repercussions and accelerated the West’s race for alternative sources.
Companies from Australia, Canada and the United States have already begun moves to invest in mining and refining outside Asia.
For Washington, the issue is especially sensitive: expanding control over essential inputs for the defense, artificial intelligence and clean energy sectors.
It is in this context that Brazil gains emphasis.
The country holds the second largest rare earth reserve in the world, but it still produces and refines almost nothing.
There is no specific regulatory framework for the sector, and the production chain is in its infancy. Even so, Western companies have already begun to acquire projects and carry out research and geological mapping in the national territory.
At the same time, the federal government is responsible for formulating guidelines for the sustainable and strategic exploration of these resources.
In the Chamber of Deputies, the debate on the
Foreign mining companies already see Brazil as a potential “safe supplier” of strategic inputs.
An agreement for the safe supply of rare earths to the USA could even be part of a possible understanding between Brazil and Donald Trump in the context of tariffs.
An example is the Australian Viridis Mining & Minerals, than in Poços de Caldas (MG), completely free of Chinese technology or components.
According to the company, the objective is to consolidate the Colossus Project, in the south of Minas Gerais, as a Western alternative in the global chain of critical minerals.
Experts point out that this type of private investment is essential to develop the national industry, given the technical complexity and billion-dollar cost of operations.
The government, in turn, rejects the idea that Brazil becomes a mere exporter of raw materials.
The strategy, according to sources from the Ministry of Mines and Energy, is to attract technological transfer and stimulate local industrialization, so that the country participates more actively in the green economy and high-value global chains.
