Rare earths in Lapland, the Sami facing mines

At a time of energy transition, rare earths are the new mining El Dorado. It must be said that these components are essential for the manufacture of electric batteries and wind turbines, in particular. So, since the Swedish mining giant announced (in January that it had discovered the largest deposit of rare earths in Kiruna, near the Arctic Circle), the European Union has nourished the hope of emancipating itself (a little) from China , on which it totally depends. Boon or curse… On site, the question divides and particularly worries the Sami, the indigenous people of the Far North, whose ancestral activity – reindeer herding – is directly threatened.