Global Scans · Resource Scarcity · Weekly Summary

• [New] Global demand for critical minerals will increase fourfold by 2040, with certain materials experiencing growth multiples of thirty times current consumption levels. Discovery Alert
• [New] $580 billion (US dollars) in capital investments will be required globally by 2040 to develop new critical minerals mines under the Announced Pledges Scenario (APS). GOV.UK
• [New] Due to timescales at which clean energy technologies will reach end of life, recycled sources of critical minerals will ramp up from 2030 and become a significant source of critical minerals by 2040. GOV.UK
• [New] Rare earth element supply chains demonstrate vulnerability to single-point failures, with most global production dependent on Chinese processing facilities that could be disrupted by various scenarios ranging from natural disasters to geopolitical tensions. Discovery Alert
• [New] China's dominance in critical minerals and rare earths, combined with recent export controls, has raised risks for strategic EU sectors such as automotive, defence, energy technology, and AI infrastructure. CEPR
• [New] Producing more critical minerals domestically to high Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards will become increasingly vital to meet UK demand, in a world of shifting geopolitics and potential for supply chain disruptions. GOV.UK
• [New] Optimising domestic production of critical minerals will help protect UK supply against global trade and supply chain disruptions. GOV.UK
• [New] As a net importer of critical minerals, the UK faces strategic vulnerabilities, shared by partners such as the EU. GOV.UK
• [New] Delayed transition scenarios maintain higher fossil fuel dependence through 2040, reducing near-term demand for critical minerals while potentially creating supply-demand imbalances when transition acceleration eventually occurs. Discovery Alert
• [New] NioCorp Developments aims to start construction in 2026 on the big Elk Creek critical minerals and rare earths mine in Nebraska. Fortune
• [New] USA Rare Earth plans to mine for rare earths in West Texas and produce magnets in Oklahoma. Fortune
• [New] The 2025 List highlights the importance of rare earth elements, a subset of critical minerals whose supply disruption would impose the highest cost on the U.S. economy, which are essential to technologies like smartphones, hard drives, and advanced defence systems. USGS
• The demand for critical minerals will become three times higher by 2030 and four times higher by 2040, as we become more reliant on green technologies. IFLScience
• China produces approximately 85% of rare earth elements globally, creating strategic supply vulnerabilities for renewable energy expansion. Discovery Alert
• Supply chain concentration for key production segments will remain above 90% in 2030, similar to today's level, with China dominating the mining and refining of rare earth elements. Energy Tracker Asia
• The proposed development plan involves a phased strategy, with initial production targeted at 85,000 tonnes of rare earth oxides per annum, potentially starting as early as 2026, before scaling up to 425,000 tonnes per annum through modular expansion. NAI 500
• AI-discovered magnetic materials could break China's stranglehold on rare earth minerals, reshaping global supply chains and geopolitics. Hushflow AI Now
• The global race for critical minerals has created an unexpected battlefield where information warfare threatens project viability more than regulatory hurdles or technical challenges. Discovery Alert
• The implementation of tariffs will create an economy where the U.S. will become increasingly reliant on non-allied partners to continue trade in areas such as critical minerals and energy, moving further away from Trump's own goal of energy dominance. Politico
• Growing dependence on critical minerals and a slower energy transition could put global energy security and climate goals at risk. Strategic Metals Invest
• Investors are projected to spend USD 100 billion globally on lithium and rare earth projects by 2032. Mugglehead Investment Magazine
• With North America's only rare earth metals processing plant at commercial scale, Canada could help ease the stranglehold that China has over rare earth metals critical to U.S. defence and commercial industries. The Christian Science Monitor
• The U.S. Geological Survey has published its final 2025 list of 60 critical minerals vital to the U.S. economy and national security and vulnerable to supply chain disruption. Supply Chain Dive

Last updated: 29 November 2025