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Rest of World ·Behind the news

The Hidden Cost of Myanmar’s Rare Earth Mines

by Emily Fishbein and Jauman Naw

Published 2026-07-23 15:00:00+00:00

What is left of a village when its mountains are pumped with acid for electric cars?

0:00 / 32:49 · Narrator Rasalgethi

Context

A young man named Min works on a steep, unstable slope in eastern Myanmar, digging for the minerals that power electric car batteries and wind turbines. In this report from 23 July 2026, the trail of these rare earth elements leads from poisoned mountain streams to the global market. The very materials marketed as essential for the world's shift away from fossil fuels are currently funding a long civil war, turning entire border regions into toxic sacrifice zones where safety and law have vanished.

Show notes

Myanmar is the world’s leading supplier of the heavy rare earth minerals used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and advanced weapons. Interviews with workers and satellite data show how these secretive mining operations fund armed groups and destroy farmland along the border with China. These materials eventually enter global markets, leaving behind toxic waste and dangerous labor conditions for the people who dig them up.

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