Paradoxically, mining rare earth elements - crucial for a number of green technologies - is potentially damaging for the environment.

矛盾的是，开采稀土元素会对环境造成潜在危害，但这些元素对许多绿色技术来说又是至关重要的。

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Today, China produces 97% of the world's supply of rare-earth metals-a by-product of the country's vast iron-ore mining operations in Inner Mongolia.

今天中国生产了世界消耗的97%的稀土金属——这个国家在内蒙古大型铁矿开采的副产品。

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Companies want to expand production outside China, but most rare-earth deposits, unlike those in southern China, are accompanied by radioactive uranium and thorium that complicate mining.

西方公司打算扩大中国以外的稀土矿产量，但这其中储量较大的稀土矿比中国华南的稀土矿复杂的多，这些矿往往伴生着放射性的铀和钍，开采起来很复杂。

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China began mining rare earth minerals in the 1980s, and by the mid-90s was well surpassing the U.S. in production.

FORBES: The Politics of Rare Earth

The high prices fetched for copper, gold and rare-earth minerals are leading to a surge in interest in mining the ocean floor.

BBC: UK Seabed Resources joins deep-ocean mineral-mining rush