Loading ...Your “It’s not so bad” could be a long, long term view… but in the immediate future it could be VERY bad. Rare earth elements are used in defense technology and electronics of all kinds. Electric vehicle batteries depend on rare earth elements. Those big wind turbines to produce ‘clean’ electricity run on Neodymium magnets… rare earth element. Many optical lenses depend on rare earth elements. Even if you don’t count cellphone usage, there is a LOT of critical infrastructure that depends on rare earth elements. USA does not have large, economically mineable deposits of the stuff. Imagine an 80% reduction in display electronics, batteries, and defense technology. Long before the USA could adapt and change, we would become a tech orphan… much more so than we are now. If you will pardon the pun, this is one of China’s “Trump Cards” if they cut us off. Second only to the nuclear option of dumping US Treasuries..