Environment
Australia aims for a responsible approach, but cleaner production could drive up prices.
Wastewater from a rare-earth refining facility in China’s Inner Mongolia is discharged into a nearby lake. © Reuters
SUBARU TANAKA
August 22, 2026 10:01 JST
TOKYO — As Australia seeks to position itself as a responsible supplier of rare earths to counterbalance China’s dominance, the question of who will absorb the costs of reducing the sector’s substantial environmental footprint remains unresolved.
