Episode 23: "Southeast Asia's Unregulated Rare Earth Mines"

In this Episode of H2O and Beyond, I'm joined by Mr. Regan Kwan, a research analyst from the Stimson Center as we talk about the unregulated rare earth mines of Southeast Asia. Rare earth elements are crucial to modern life. They’re in our phones, computers, electric vehicles, and renewable energy technologies. But the environmental cost of extracting them is often paid far from where these technologies are used.We examine how a technique known as in-situ leaching is devastating river systems, groundwater, ecosystems, and human health. While these mines may appear less destructive on the surface, the water impacts are severe: acidic wastewater pumped directly back into rivers, abandoned waste pools that overflow during monsoon seasons, and pollutants that infiltrate soil, crops, and drinking water. In Myanmar, there are over 800 unregulated rare earth mines!Timestamps: 0:00 Intro7:07 What are rare earth minerals?12:57 Why the sudden spike in interest?18:57 How are rare earth minerals mined?23:45 Myanmar's 800 unregulated mines33:07 Ecological impacts38:22 Should outsiders care about this issue?43:50 Just how big is the rare earth industry?45:39 How are these mines detected?47:14 New trends in the industry51:59 Role of the Stimson Center58:42 Closing🎧 Listen to more episodes & follow us here: https://linktr.ee/h2oandbeyondFeedback Form: https://forms.gle/RNjdFLY2wSrk7PW2AStimson Center Links:https://www.stimson.org/2025/unregulated-mining-along-rivers-in-mainland-southeast-asia/https://www.stimson.org/2025/mining-in-mainland-southeast-asia-river-basins-dashboard/https://www.stimson.org/event/testing-the-waters-unregulated-mining-in-the-mekong-region/Some major media hits from the data release: Reuters: https://youtu.be/AezIFldj5uA?si=W3FNcClmCpdeFEaJ Mongabay: https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/toxic-runoff-from-politically-linked-gold-mine-poisons-cambodian-rivers-communities/CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/25/asia/rare-earth-river-pollution-myanmar-china-intl-hnkTPBS: https://youtu.be/lV7NkSebOMU?si=hyDB0lTYMJgWyGhj CNA (with Regan): https://youtu.be/XPX9hqZOlXc?si=cDPK8i68kQ7ZecNn Korean OBS: https://youtube.com/shorts/2-XVqWNq0SA?si=ybmyTtT3hNMP9aB1If you liked this episode, please Like and Subscribe!