By Laura Bicker and the Visual Journalism Team
7 July 2025

Amid the windswept plains of Inner Mongolia, northern China, lies Bayan Obo—a place you’ve likely never heard of, yet it plays a pivotal role in modern life.

Here, the horizon is scarred. What was once lush grassland has been transformed into a barren stretch of grey earth, punctuated by giant craters and dust clouds. These open-pit mines are the result of decades of digging for rare earth elements—an essential group of metals that power the digital world. From smartphones and laptops to electric cars and wind turbines, these materials are the building blocks of our technology-driven society.

Bayan Obo sits atop the world’s richest deposit of rare earths, accounting for roughly half of the global supply. This has placed China at the center of a critical industry—and given it immense geopolitical clout. No other country matches China in mining, refining, and exporting these materials.

But the dominance has come at a high environmental and human cost.

In pursuit of these rare elements, China’s landscapes have been reshaped and its ecosystems severely harmed. On a journey through Bayan Obo and another key hub in Ganzhou, southern China, evidence of this toll was everywhere. Toxic sludge-filled lakes, discolored water, and reports of health crises—including birth defects and cancer clusters—paint a grim picture of unchecked industrial growth.

Accessing these areas wasn’t easy. Chinese authorities are sensitive to negative press about the industry’s environmental impact. Our team faced police scrutiny, detainment, and an intense confrontation with a mining official who tried to force us to erase our footage. Requests for official comment went unanswered.

Despite the tight control over information, China has recently introduced new regulations aimed at increasing oversight of the rare earth sector. Scientists noted some clean-up efforts have begun, but vast swathes of land—especially in the north—continue to be excavated relentlessly.

Heavy machinery in Bayan Obo digs for elements like neodymium and dysprosium—crucial for producing high-performance magnets used in everything from EVs to military equipment. But with each layer of soil removed, dangerous dust rises into the air, often laced with radioactive particles and heavy metals.

Satellite imagery reveals the mine’s ever-expanding footprint. What started as a small operation has sprawled into a massive industrial zone, stretching far into Inner Mongolia’s arid terrain—nearly nine hours from Beijing.

China’s grip on rare earths has reshaped global trade and technology—but behind the electronics in our hands lies a cost paid in poisoned water, damaged soil, and lives lived in the shadow of pollution.