The West's dependence on China for so-called critical minerals once worried only a handful of experts and policy wonks. Now, the anxiety has gone mainstream, capturing headlines and becoming the subject of a BBC documentary series. But we have yet to answer adequately the most important question: What should we do about it?
There is no denying the risks that lie ahead. As Europe has learned over the last several months, it is not prudent to rely on a hostile state to deliver essential commodities. But the solution to today's energy crisis -- to accelerate the transition to renewable sources -- threatens to replicate the current situation in a different guise, because it increases our dependence on minerals like cobalt, nickel, graphite, lithium, and copper.
