#critical-minerals

#critical-minerals

We live in a new world of strategic competition between states over scarce but essential resources, with shocks to supplies from human activity and natural disasters an ever-present risk. This means recalibrating how we think about our economy: the new economic fundamentals today are resource constraints and climate and nature crises, and these, rather than human activity, will increasingly shape the world we inhabit. Flows of finance and stocks of wealth will matter less than stocks and flows of real material resources.

Britain's only tin mine could end up exporting much of its future production to the United States after the American government signalled it is prepared to provide up to $225 million (£166 million) in financing to revive the historic South Crofty site in Cornwall. Cornish Metals, which is working to bring the South Crofty mine near Camborne back into production, has received a letter of interest from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Exim),

High on the agenda is the question of setting a minimum price for critical minerals something many countries are pushing for. However, the US is reported to be backing away from this suggestion. On Monday, US President Donald Trump announced the launch of a strategic minerals stockpile for the US called Project Vault. It will be funded by $2bn of private capital along with a $10bn loan from the US Export-Import Bank.

Japan and Britain agreed Saturday to accelerate cooperation on cybersecurity and the supply of critical minerals, as China's influence grows in the region. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his visit to Japan comes at a time "when geopolitical, economic and technological shocks are literally shaking the world." Starmer's overnight Tokyo visit comes on the heels of his trip to Beijing, where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to seek a long-term, stable "strategic partnership."

The deal, which comes as Brussels seeks new markets to offset US tariffs and reduce reliance on China for critical minerals, will open free trade with four South American countries. European Union ambassadors have given a provisional nod to the bloc's largest-ever agreement in terms of erased tariffs, opening the way to free trade with the Mercosur group of South American countries.

The planned investments are part of a wider $1.5 trillion effort known as the Security and Resilience Initiative (SRI), which was announced by the world's largest bank in October. Days after launch, J.P. Morgan revealed its first investment as part of initiative: a $75 million equity investment in Perpetua Resources, which is aiming to become the first US-based producer of the versatile critical mineral antimony, which has applications in the defense sphere for items like batteries and ammunition.

The accelerating global arms race is hindering climate action as critical minerals that are key to a sustainable future are being diverted to make the latest military hardware, according to a report The study from the Transition Security Project a joint US and UK venture reveals how the Pentagon is stockpiling huge stores of critical minerals that are needed for a range of climate technologies including solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles and battery storage.

Africa's minerals and young workforce are attracting global interest as China, the US and Europe compete for influence.

Megan O'Connor, cofounder and CEO of Nth Cycle, a Beverly, Mass.-based startup poised to disrupt the metal recycling industry with an electro-extraction system that can operate in very small facilities spread all over the world. The Nth Cycle process can handle up to five tons of material each day in a very compact facility - only 1,000 square feet, about the half the size of the typical retail storefront. That means in theory that materials could be recycled near the source and reused locally.

The plan aims to produce 10% of the UK's critical mineral needs domestically and recover 20% through recycling by 2035, backed by up to £50 million in new funding and deeper alignment with the Government's national security and industrial goals.

What made us think anyone would be interested? The answer is rarely simple. We constantly sift through news, linking trends, scouring reports, going yes, no, maybe. That's how we ended up emailing Pollon, a Vancouver-based journalist with deep knowledge of the mining sector. Could Trump's obsession with critical minerals illuminate his annexation talk about Canada? (Spoiler: yes.) But discerning, synthesizing, and connecting explains only part of how we decide.

Canada's prime minister Mark Carney likes to say that when he was young, we used to build big things in this country, and we used to build them quickly. That idea of sprawling projects that transform nations, has influenced both his narrative as an economist-turned politician and his government's multibillion dollar investment spree. It's time to get back at it, and get on with it, he said in September.

Yes, showing the flag and having the President interact with counterparts is an important part of diplomacy, at the highest level. It has impact because it shows that the U.S. cares about allies and partners, that the U.S. values this relationship and will be there for allies and partners, regardless of the cost. So, Mr. Trump's visit to the region was more than tariffs and trade. It was about relationships that principally deal with national security,

The US president, who is in Japan on the second leg of a week-long tour of Asia, and Takaichi quickly signed an agreement laying out a framework to secure the mining and processing of rare earths and other minerals. The agreement follows China's recent decision to tighten export controls on the materials, which are crucial for a wide range of products.

Every solar array, battery system, and EV charger installed over the past decade will eventually need to be decommissioned. Yet there's no unifying system to handle that flow of materials-no operating system for the reverse supply chain that the circular economy depends on. While Americans recycle 97% of vehicles, we recycle less than 20% of electronics, leaving valuable critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and gold to languish in warehouses or end up in landfills.