Bayan Obo, a town in China’s Inner Mongolia region, is perhaps the most famous center of rare earths production and processing operations in the world. It’s only a little more than a nine hour drive from Beijing. This is the same place where half of the world’s supply of these critical metals is concentrated. The vast and arid landscape surrounding the town conceals a complex reality: while the extraction of rare earths has brought financial benefits to some, it has inflicted severe environmental and health consequences on local residents.
The Bayan Obo mine pictured below left has greatly expanded each year. It serves as one of China’s two primary rare earth mining centers alongside Ganzhou in Jiangxi Province. Satellite imagery documents the rapid change to the landscape, with a network of new mining ponds spreading rapidly around the village. These boasts have not come without a price. The area has been impacted by a toxic legacy of environmental destruction including toxic waste and threats of potential groundwater contamination. For every single tonne of rare earth minerals mined, approximately 2,000 tonnes of toxic waste is created. This extraordinarily high figure represents grave dangers to our environment and our communities.
In response, health concerns quickly became the top priority among the local populace. Studies have documented that residents of Bayan Obo developed bone and joint deformities from fluoride exposure from their water supply. They were undergoing acute arsenic toxicity which resulted in significant health complications. The worst health effects have been concentrated around the largest tailing pond south of Bayan Obo, located in the city of Baotou. Local farmer Huang Xiaocong, whose land is encircled by four rare earth mining sites, has voiced his fears regarding ongoing risks.
“The authorities’ tolerance and inaction towards what is happening… is, in my opinion, the main reason these landslides keep happening,” – Huang Xiaocong
Huang is spreading his worries among the local farmers. Together they have all still managed to adjust to life in the world’s rare earth capital, enjoying its economic blessings while fending off its environmental threats. One farmer stated, “With the rare earths, there’s money now.” Though the windfall in profits has been welcomed, many find themselves in a precarious position.
“We ordinary people don’t have the answers… Farmers like us, we’re the vulnerable ones. To put it simply, we were born at a disadvantage. It’s pretty tragic,” – Huang Xiaocong
The mining operations have triggered landslides and further environmental degradation, leading to apprehension among residents about their safety and well-being. Huang has asserted that improper mining practices continue to pose risks: “This problem is way too big for me to solve. It’s something that has to be dealt with at the higher levels of government.”
Over decades, the federal government’s approach to mining has been known as “build it first, remediate it afterwards.” This mentality has led to a boom-and-bust cycle of exploitation that values short-term economic returns over long-term stewardship. Those basic rights continue to be denied as serious health risks plague the lives of mining residents. They fail to protect them from the environmental impacts of unchecked and uncontrolled industrialization.
Inspite of these economic hurdles, enterprising locals have found some success reaping the rewards of the rare earth business. According to the individual farmers we talked to, they make anywhere from 5,000-6,000 yuan (~$837-615) per month from their mining activities. The irony of this financial carrot is that it has created a love-hate relationship with the industry, where economic interests are opposed to environmental protection.
The increasing tension between economic development and ecological protection illuminates important questions about the future of Bayan Obo. As mining continues to reshape the landscape and impact health outcomes, local communities remain at a crossroads, balancing the need for financial stability against the pressing need for environmental protection.