Water

For people who believe that wind and solar cannot replace fossil fuels arguments are sometimes distractions. When those who oppose off shore wind talk about killing birds and whales they are avoiding the real problem which is the extraction of rare earth metals like neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium. Mining these elements poisons the ground water but since it is in China it is not considered a problem. The Yellow River in China is the main water source for 420 million people. It has been under stress from mining coal for many years and now must face the added stress of mining rare earths. The Yellow River's basin presently has a population of 120 million people, while over 420 million people live in the immediate provinces which rely on it as a water source.