LA SALE GUERRE DES TERRES RARES Film by Guillaume PITRON and Serge TURQUIER — TV broadcasts: CANAL+ / TELE CANADA _Rare earths are minerals with exceptional electromagnetic properties, they have become indispensable for high-tech applications, laptops, computers, etc. Their absence would transport our civilization three decades back. Rare earths is the «oil of the 21st century», the engine of a new industrial revolution, to the point of becoming a strategic weapon for China, the world’s leading producer. In 2012, 97% of the rare earths consumed in the world are extracted from the mines of Bayan Obo, in the middle of the steppes of Inner Mongolia. But new deposits around the world will be inevitable. Who will be the next masters of rare earths?–