A PINK WAREHOUSE in Brazil’s north-east may help the world out of a tight geopolitical bind. Hidden inside a research park in the state of Bahia, the facility is run by Brazilian Rare Earths (BRE), a mining firm. It is building one of Latin America’s first separation plants for the eponymous minerals, a cluster of 17 elements needed for manufacturing everything from missiles to microwaves. Western countries anxiously await new supply, eager to reduce reliance on China, which controls 70% of mining and 90% of processing.
