Myanmar's rare earth boom fuels pollution and worker exploitation

Myanmar's rare earth mining industry, driven by global demand and operating amid the country's civil war, is causing severe environmental damage and endangering workers, with the world's largest supplier of heavy rare earths facing a humanitarian crisis. The industry operates secretly in ethnic army-controlled regions, with Chinese companies extracting materials under exploitative conditions, including documented fatal landslides and reports of slave labor. Workers face toxic chemical exposure, lack of contracts, and minimal compensation, while mining pollutes rivers and destroys farmland. China, which processes over 90% of the world's rare earths, has tightened domestic regulations but does not enforce similar standards abroad, allowing the harmful practices to continue. The global race for these critical minerals, essential for renewable energy and weapons, is indirectly funding conflict actors in Myanmar.