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Reuters
5 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
What to know about China's rare earth export controls
BEIJING, June 4 (Reuters) - Global manufacturers have raised the alarm on China's decision to curb exports of rare earths alloys, mixtures and magnets. Here is an overview of rare earths and China's measures: Rare earths are a group of 17 silvery-white elements. One of their most important uses is in making magnets that power motion for cars, cell phones, missiles and other electronics. While not rare in the sense of being uncommon, they tend to occur in small quantities or mixed with other minerals, making extraction difficult and costly. China mines about 60% of the world's rare earths and makes 90% of rare earth magnets. It sets quotas on output, smelting, and separation, which are monitored as a barometer of global supply. One of the most difficult processing steps is separating individual rare earths from each other. While U.S. scientists helped developed a process called solvent extraction in the 1950s, radioactive waste made it unpopular in the United States. Spurred by the government, China has expanded the industry since the 1980s, spending the last 30 years mastering solvent extraction, while cheap labour and relatively lax environmental standards give it a cost advantage. China has put bans, opens new tab on its technologies for separating rare earths as well as producing magnets. New separation technologies are being developed but are not yet widely used. On April 4, China added seven of the 17 rare earths metals - such as samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium-related items - to a list of export controls two days after President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs took U.S. trade barriers to their highest in a century. Exporters have to apply for a licence that industry sources say can take two to three months or longer, and shipments have been halted at many Chinese ports as applications are processed. On May 13, China agreed to remove recent non-tariff countermeasures issued after April 2, which includes the rare earth curbs, as part of a temporary tariff deal, U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer said. However, since then, Greer has said China was "slow-rolling" their removal, and Trump complained that China violated the deal. China has defended its export curbs as "non-discriminatory" and not targeted at any specific country. The foreign ministry told media on Friday that China was ready for talks on the issue with relevant nations. Global automakers have warned that the measures could cause production delays and widespread shutdowns because rare earths are employed in key components, such as automatic transmissions and power steering.
Japan Times
14-05-2025
- Health
- Japan Times
Harmfully hot days for pregnant women in Japan nearly doubled over past five years
Extreme heat has increased the risks of preterm births and other pregnancy complications in Japan, with climate change helping to nearly double the number of days that are harmfully hot for pregnant women in the past five years, new research by a U.S. climate scientists' group has shown. A report released Wednesday by Climate Central, a nonprofit science and communications organization, says the number of 'pregnancy heat-risk days' — or days when maximum temperatures exceed 95% of historic local temperatures — has gone up by 15 days to 33 days on average per year. The research, part of the group's analysis of temperature data from 2020 to 2024 across 247 countries and territories and 940 cities worldwide, shows some prefectures and cities bore the brunt of climate change more severely than others. For example, by prefecture, Okinawa saw the biggest increase in pregnancy heat-risk days due to climate change, with 36 days added annually to bring the total to 42 days. It was followed by Tokyo, which saw 28 days added for a total of 43 days, and Kagoshima, which saw 22 days added for a total of 33 days. By city, Osaka saw the biggest jump in the number of such dangerously hot days, with climate change attributed to 70% of its 33 days in total, followed by a 64% increase in Kyoto and a 57% surge in Kobe. The findings for Japan are in sync with the trend worldwide. In most countries and territories, climate change at least doubled the annual number of pregnancy heat-risk days, compared to a world without climate change, the analysis shows. 'Extreme heat is now one of the most pressing threats to pregnant people worldwide, pushing more pregnancies into high-risk territory, especially in places already struggling with limited health care access,' said Dr. Bruce Bekkar, a women's health physician, in a statement. 'Cutting fossil fuel emissions isn't just good for the planet — it's a crucial step toward protecting pregnant people and newborns around the world.' Extreme heat is particularly dangerous for pregnant women, who produce a lot of energy for the fetus and the placenta, thereby making it difficult for them to naturally cool down, said Takeo Fujiwara, a professor and public health expert at the Institute of Science Tokyo, who was not involved in the study. 'They are more likely to sweat, but prolonged exposure to severe heat raises the risk of dehydration and heat stroke for them.' Pregnant women exposed to extreme heat are also more likely to suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as the premature rupture of the amniotic sac, premature placental separation and bleeding, Fujiwara said. Heat stress can also raise the risks of stillbirths, miscarriages, preterm births and low-weight births, as well as congenital abnormalities for the babies, he added. Pregnant women should be mindful of these health risks during the summer and make sure they use air conditioners and fans, while taking frequent water breaks and avoiding going out during the hotter times of the day, Fujiwara said.
