Tribalwar

Hell has arrived, in China!

Submitted by: Goshin @ 05:53 PM | Friday, April 10, 2015 | (url: http://www.bbc.co...)

[img]http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwfeatures/976_549/images/live/p0/2n/9y/p02n9y28.jpg[/img]

Hidden in an unknown corner of Inner Mongolia is a toxic, nightmarish lake created by our thirst for smartphones, consumer gadgets and green tech, discovers Tim Maughan.

From where I'm standing, the city-sized Baogang Steel and Rare Earth complex dominates the horizon, its endless cooling towers and chimneys reaching up into grey, washed-out sky. Between it and me, stretching into the distance, lies an artificial lake filled with a black, barely-liquid, toxic sludge.

Id seen some photos before I left for Inner Mongolia, but nothing prepared me for the sight The alien environment at Baotou lake
Dozens of pipes line the shore, churning out a torrent of thick, black, chemical waste from the refineries that surround the lake. The smell of sulphur and the roar of the pipes invades my senses. It feels like hell on Earth.

You may not have heard of Baotou, but the mines and factories here help to keep our modern lives ticking. It is one of the worlds biggest suppliers of rare earth minerals. These elements can be found in everything from magnets in wind turbines and electric car motors, to the electronic guts of smartphones and flatscreen TVs. In 2009 China produced 95% of the world's supply of these elements, and it's estimated that the Bayan Obo mines just north of Baotou contain 70% of the world's reserves. But, as we would discover, at what cost?