{"id":416630,"date":"2025-12-08T16:44:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T15:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=416630"},"modified":"2025-12-08T16:44:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T15:44:21","slug":"claim-the-usa-securing-critical-mineral-supply-chains-threatens-the-global-climate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=416630","title":{"rendered":"Claim: The USA Securing Critical Mineral Supply Chains Threatens the Global Climate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essay by<\/strong> Eric Worrall<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparently, the USA has to stay dependent on China for Rare Earths, otherwise the planet will suffer a climate catastrophe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Global race to secure critical minerals for weapons threatens climate, warns report<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Study reveals US earmarked billions to stockpile critical minerals for military use, including precision-guided weaponry and AI-driven warfare<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthew Taylor<\/a> and Oliver Milman<\/a>
Thu 4 Dec 2025 23.00 AEDT<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The accelerating global arms race is hindering climate action as critical minerals that are key to a sustainable future are being diverted to make the latest military hardware, according to a report<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The study<\/a> from the Transition Security Project<\/a> \u2013 a joint US and UK venture \u2013 reveals how the Pentagon is stockpiling huge stores of critical minerals that are needed for a range of climate technologies including solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles and battery storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It found that since the US president, Donald Trump, passed his \u201cone big beautiful bill<\/a>\u201d earlier this year, the Pentagon \u2013 through its National Defense Stockpile programme \u2013 has earmarked billions of dollars to secure a growing list of critical minerals for use in military hardware \u2013 from precision-guided weaponry and advanced communication systems to an emerging arsenal of military technologies such as \u201cAI-driven autonomous warfare platforms\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Khem Rogaly, co-director of Transition Security Project, said: \u201cThe Pentagon\u2019s trillion dollar budget supports a global infrastructure designed for US military domination, not national security. Using precious resources to feed the expanding military industrial complex, rather than addressing the existential threat of the climate crisis, demonstrates the global insecurity produced by the Pentagon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/a>Read more: https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2025\/dec\/04\/critical-minerals-military-us-pentagon-climate-crisis<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The executive summary of the study;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mining for War: Assessing the Pentagon\u2019s Mineral Stockpile<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can the Pentagon\u2019s energy transition mineral stockpiles be repurposed toward the green transition?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 December 2025 
Lorah Steichen<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Executive Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Driven by concerns about supply chain vulnerabilities amid escalating great power competition with China, the Pentagon is accelerating efforts to secure access to the so-called critical minerals, which are essential to military industries. Central to this push is a ramped-up effort to stockpile these materials within the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) National Defense Stockpile. The Pentagon\u2019s expanding demand for critical minerals risks diverting vital resources away from civilian decarbonisation initiatives and accelerating militarised competition at a time when global collaboration is essential for a just climate transition. When industrial strategy is shaped by military and national security priorities, it not only entrenches geopolitical conflict but also distorts pathways for equitable climate action, redirecting public resources and state capacity away from the broader demands of rapid and just decarbonisation. This briefing examines how the Pentagon\u2019s role in mineral supply chains, particularly through stockpiling, challenges the global energy transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key findings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n