I’m rather surprised that the big wigs at the Associated Press allowed this to be published
‘The Sacrifice Zone’: Myanmar bears cost of green energy
The birds no longer sing. The fish no longer swim in rivers that have turned a murky brown. The animals do not roam, and the cows are sometimes found dead.
The people in this northern Myanmar forest have lost a way of life that goes back generations. But if they complain, they, too, face the threat of death.
This forest is the source of several key metallic elements known as rare earths, often called the vitamins of the modern world. Rare earths now reach into the lives of almost everyone on the planet, turning up in everything from hard drives and cellphones to elevators and trains. They are especially vital to the fast-growing field of green energy, feeding wind turbines and Tesla engines. And they end up in the supply chains of some of the most prominent companies in the world, including General Motors, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Tesla and Apple.
But an AP investigation has found that their universal use hides a dirty open secret in the industry: Their cost is environmental destruction, the theft of land from villagers and the funneling of money to brutal militias, including at least one linked to Myanmar’s secretive military government. And as demand soars for rare earths along with green energy, the abuses are likely to grow.
“This rapid push to build out mining capacity is being justified in the name of climate change,” said Julie Michelle Klinger, author of the book “Rare Earths Frontiers,” who is leading a federal project to trace illicit energy minerals. “There’s still this push to find the right place to mine them, which is a place that is out of sight and out of mind.”
But, hey, it’s over there in the 3rd World, which means the 1st World elitist climate cultists do not have to see what their beliefs are causing. Most companies did not respond to the APs questions. Better
The State Department, which leads work on securing the U.S. rare earths supply, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. But experts say the government weighs the regulation of rare earths against other green goals, such as the sales and use of electric vehicles. Rare earths are also omitted from the European Union’s 2021 regulation on conflict minerals.
Yeah, so the State Department is blowing smoke and providing cover all in the name of the Climate Cult.
There is a name for what Myanmar has become: A “sacrifice zone,” or a place that destroys itself for the good of the world.
Good job, Warmists
Militias are rampant in these northern forest frontier areas, including at least one tied to the military-backed Border Guard Force. The Myanmar military or Tatmadaw is under international sanctions for human rights abuses after it seized power last year. That means the rare earths money it gets from the militia may be fueling a violent crackdown against civilians. The Myanmar military and militia leaders did not respond to requests for comment.
Hey, there has to be some sacrifice for the green agenda, right?
Every energy source has costs associated with its benefits. It’s good that we all recognize that simple fact.
Coal has costs. Nuclear has costs. Solar has costs. Wind has costs. Hydroelectric has costs. Oil has costs.
Wind turbines are made of… plastic, from petroleum! They scar the landscape.
Nuclear is expensive with the potential for catastrophic but rare, incidents. The wastes last a long, long time.
Hydroelectric floods thousands of acres of land.
The drilling and mining of fossil fuels has local effects on the land and waters, as well as the workers associated with their extraction. Air pollution contributes to lung disease and cancer. The transport of fossil fuels requires massive pipelines, tankers, leaks and oil spills. Fracking (disposal of waste water) induces earthquakes. We’ve tolerated those costs because the benefits, i.e., cheap, reliable energy, was worth the costs, but global warming is, well… global.
but global warming is, well… a myth.
Thanks, Rimjob.
#LetsGoBrandon
#Trump2024
Bwaha! Lolgfy
There are trade-offs for everything in life Dowd. I just don’t believe they should include slave labor, child labor and huge amounts of future poison waste with no plans for disposal. Especially since “global warming” will not be stopped by driving an EV.
It’s all a hoax. All you leftists do is lie. I’m still waiting for the previous 1,000 predictions to come true. It’s all bullshit. It’s the leftist religion.
FJB
The percent of rare earth metals ( of course Teach already knows that rare earth elements are actually quite abundant) that come from Myanmar is quite small
85% comes from Chinese mines.teach did you personally check the source of the rare earth minerals used in those new speakers you bought? Were they 100% American mined?
Are you responsible for any environmental damage ?
Obama put strong sanctions on Myanmar because of their militsry take over and human rights abuses
The military there are the ones who own the mines
Trump removed thode sanctions, did Teach post anything about thst when he did that?
Hairy, some sanctions have been put on or removed from time to time on Myanmar since 1988. That includes ALL the presidents since then. Your little trick won’t work. Trump had no more to do with them than others and Obama was the worst.
” sanctions against Myanmar (also known as Burma) have targeted businesses controlled by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar’s military), leadership of the ruling military junta and their families. Most formal sanctions against Myanmar businesses and nationals ceased in 2012, as the country began a process of democratic reforms.”
Soon countries will be targeting the US for sanctions against our junta and their crime families.
Everything bad in the world is not Trump’s fault regardless how sick your mind is with hate and TDS/Post Presidential Variant. Go get a booster ya dumb fuk.
FJB
From what I’ve read, rare earth elements are called such because they are difficult to extract from their ores, being all so similar chemically. It’s the EPA that keeps us from producing them here in the USA.