A smattering of 17 squares on the periodic table encompass a group known as the Rare Earth Elements which are vital not only to the very heart of green tech (everything from solar cells to wind turbines) but modern technology in general. China happens to be the source of 97 percent of these elements, and they've just decided internal demand is too great to share. The fall out is not only potentially a societal crisis but as far from green as you can get, as mines are frantically opened from the Arctic to the southern hemisphere.
The Independent (UK) starts off with the potential impact on the advancement of green tech:
Britain and other Western countries risk running out of supplies of certain highly sought-after rare metals that are vital to a host of green technologies, amid growing evidence that China, which has a monopoly on global production, is set to choke off exports of valuable compounds.
Failure to secure alternative long-term sources of rare earth elements (REEs) would affect the manufacturing and development of low-carbon technology, which relies on the unique properties of the 17 metals to mass-produce eco-friendly innovations such as wind turbines and low-energy lightbulbs.
And continue on noting just how soon the change could come:
Industry sources have told The Independent that China could halt shipments of at least two metals as early as next year, and that by 2012 it is likely to be producing only enough REE ore to satisfy its own booming domestic demand, creating a potential crisis as Western countries rush to find alternative supplies, and companies open new mines in locations from South Africa to Greenland to satisfy international demand.
Rare Earth Elements have specific properties that enable technologies as vastly separated as an iPod or pair of ear buds and medical equipment and missile guidance packages. Our society has become utterly dependent on them and we know it. Western countries and business organizations have started to make protests to the WTO, and:
Amid claims that Beijing is using its rare earths monopoly as a tool of foreign policy, the British Department of Business, Industry and Skills said it was "monitoring" the supply of REEs to ensure China was observing international trade rules.
Experts quoted in The Independent suggested that the impacts of the restriction would be seen in the next year to year and a half. But life styles aren't the only thing in jeopardy, the piece concluding with a litany of the current fallout, most of it bad news for the environment:
Both Western countries and China are already dashing to secure new sources of rare earths. Last year, Australian regulators imposed restrictions on the purchase of one of the country's richest rare earth mines, causing a Chinese company to walk away from a £400m deal to buy its operator.
European and North American companies are meanwhile racing to open or re-open mines in Canada, South Africa and Greenland amid calls in the US for government-backed loans to secure supplies of some REEs which are used in the guidance systems of missiles and laser-guided munitions. Toyota has effectively bought its own rare earth mine in Vietnam by signing an exclusive supply deal.