In Myanmar, illicit rare-earth mining is taking a heavy toll

In early 2025, Sian embarked on a perilous journey into the rugged mountains of Shan State, located on Myanmar’s eastern border with China, in search of employment. News had spread among locals that Chinese companies were actively hiring at new rare-earth mining sites controlled by the powerful United Wa State Army. With potential earnings exceeding $1,400 a month, it was an alluring chance for many, especially in a nation where the economy has been in freefall since the military coup in 2021, leaving nearly half of the population struggling to survive on less than $2 a day. After navigating treacherous terrain by car and motorbike, Sian arrived in Mong Pawk, where he found work with daily wages around $21. His role involves digging boreholes and laying pipes as part of a process known as in situ leaching. This method requires injecting acidic solutions into mountainsides and capturing the runoff in plastic-lined pools, where valuable heavy rare-earth metals such as dysprosium and terbium naturally settle. As global demand for rare earths skyrockets amidst shifting geopolitical landscapes, mining activities in Myanmar are surging. Thousands of laborers like Sian are drawn to the eastern border sites, yet the implications of this boom are dire. Local communities and the environment are bearing the brunt of the industry’s expansion. "The toxic effects of rare-earth mining are devastating, leading to poisoned rivers, contaminated soil, widespread sickness, and displacement of communities," warns Jasnea Sarma, an ethnographer and political geographer at the University of Zurich. While China dominates the global rare-earth processing market, it has tightened extraction regulations domestically since the early 2010s due to the environmental impact becoming increasingly apparent. Consequently, rare-earth mining operations have surged just across the border in Myanmar, where labor is inexpensive and environmental protections are minimal.