The 17 reasons Donald Trump really wants Greenland – by Catherine Philp (The Australian – August 26, 2019)

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/

They are 17 in number and between them are becoming the driving force for the 21st century. Their names are unfamiliar but they power most of our household technology.

Nicknamed the “vitamins of modern life”, these rare earth elements possess unique magnetic and lighting properties that are central to the production of civilian and military technology.

Now, as the trade war with China heats up, the US faces being cut off from the supply of a natural resource crucial to the trappings of modern life: rechargeable batteries, smartphones, missile guidance systems, electric cars and more.

Hence President Trump’s interest in Greenland, which is estimated to hold a quarter of the world’s known reserves of the elements, with names such as scandium, yttrium and neodymium. As things stand, China enjoys an almost total global monopoly.

The first place where they were mined was Mountain Pass in California, which produced most of the global supply for two decades, beginning in the 1960s. However, it was the Chinese who recognised the elements’ strategic importance, almost 30 years ago, and banned foreigners from mining them on home soil before embarking on a campaign to secure the world’s reserves for their use.

For the rest of this article: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/the-17-reasons-donald-trump-really-wants-greenland/news-story/0617d0476f54ac8ea38011e1c9808992