In this episode, we’re speaking to award-winning French journalist and documentary filmmaker Guillaume Pitron. For the last decade or so, Guillaume has been following the global trade in rare earth metals. There are around 30 of these metals and they can be found in virtually all of our electronic devices and in green technologies like solar panels and electric cars.

Unfortunately, mining these materials come with heavy environmental and social costs. Mining generates massive amounts of polluted wastewater, which left untreated, poisons crops and makes people sick. Guillaume documents these issues in his 2018 book "Rare Metals War', which has recently been translated into English.

I spoke to Guillaume about why rare earth metals are so important for consumer electronics, why the U.S. outsourced the mining of these metals mostly to China, and how companies like Apple and Tesla can make their products, which rely heavily on rare earth metals, more environmentally-friendly.

Help support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric

Receive 25% off any web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com

**DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE**

Rare Metals War (book)
https://scribepublications.co.uk/books-authors/books/the-rare-metals-war

Guillaume's website
https://www.guillaumepitron.com/about-guillaume
**TELL US WHAT YOU THINK**
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric