Integration of Goiás (Brazil) into the Global Rare Earth Extraction Networks

Abstract

Critical and strategic minerals are essential to the functioning of the contemporary capitalist production system. Technological revolutions in sectors such as electronics, aerospace, information technology, telecommunications, automotive, defense, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are highly dependent on mineral commodities such as copper, cobalt, niobium, and rare earth elements. Accordingly, this research aims to interpret Goiás’s integration into the global rare earth extraction networks. The methodology employed combines qualitative and quantitative procedures. The results are presented in three sections of the article. The first outlines the geographical distribution of the main regions and countries with the largest rare earth reserves, as well as those that stand out as major global producers. The second section examines Brazil’s participation in the global extraction network of these chemical elements, focusing on the strategic importance of its reserves, key projects, and the evolving interests and disputes over the national subsoil. The third section centers on the integration of Goiás into the global rare earth extraction networks, demonstrating how these resources drive the expansion of the mineral frontier in the state and intensify competition for its subsoil, with territorial and environmental implications that threaten the Cerrado biome and the peoples living within this biogeographical system.