Myanmar now is the world's largest source of supply of heavy rare earth minerals, which go to China for processing before being distributed around the world (Photo: Radek Kucharski)

Feature

EU's minerals strategy: what's ethical vs what's critical

Green Economy

Health & Society

by Anrike Visser, Tallin,

Myanmar now is the world's largest source of supply of heavy rare earth minerals, which go to China for processing before being distributed around the world (Photo: Radek Kucharski)

The battle between the Global South and North is on. In one corner sits the transition to green economies and electric vehicles. In the other corner, development and basic human rights.

The fight, of course, is over minerals.

While the EU is busy listing critical minerals and worries about geopolitical tension, resource-rich, and often developing, countries worry about the severe environmental and social impact of mining.

In the EU, this tension can be felt between the pr...