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The challenge behind extracting rare earths

How can we succeed in maintaining our technological consumption while reducing our ecological impact, caused by the extraction of certain metals? See detailled presentation

The challenge behind extracting rare earths

How can we succeed in maintaining our technological consumption while reducing our ecological impact, caused by the extraction of certain metals? See detailled presentation

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Introduction

The increase in the use of technology in everyday life has been accompanied by a growing used of so-called ‘rare’ metals and materials, the extraction of which is extremely costly in terms of energy and pollution. It seems essential to think about ecological extraction technologies in order to be able to continue to produce without generating these negative externalities.

The program

Develop your projects, create your business...

The GENEVA FORUM invites you to propose your solutions in this field.

The many technologies we use everyday such as smartphones, contains metals and materials extracted from rare earths. These are scattered around the world and are currently particularly concentrated in China. The extraction process is costly on two levels: it is energy-consuming and highly polluting.

The management of the waste and pollution caused depends largely on political decisions and economic interests and is clearly not always a priority for governments. Thus, there seems to be a need to think about technologies to:

  • Recycle materials already in use, in order to limit further extraction;
  • Recover and use green energy to melt and extract metals;
  • Other possibilities…

There are, for example, solar ovens with convergent panels, which make it possible to melt the recovered metals without causing pollution. These reach high temperatures and can replace plants that are much more damaging to the environment. However, these represent only a few initiatives.

On the other hand, no sustainable solution has yet been found to limit the pollution caused by the extraction of rare earths. If we wish to continue to benefit from our small technological objects, we will necessarily have to innovate in this field or to find alternative materials.

Suggest a solution !

If you wish, you can present, alone or with others, your proposals to the UN and you will be accompanied in the creation and development of activities based on these proposals.

Come with your ideas, prepare yourself, and participate actively in the workshops of the GENEVA FORUM. Meet your future teammates and get ready to actively change the world!

If you wish to propose a solution to the World in this field :

1) Search and select the International Conference at the UN on which you want to present your idea or solution by consulting this list of GENEVA FORUM Conferences (click here)














2) Fill in the form to submit the abstract (a summary) of your presentation (click here), stating "Yes" in the box "Is your presentation, a proposal for a disruptive technology ?"














3) Come at the next GENEVA FORUM, and give a short presentation of 5 minutes (pitch) and then participate in the one hour workshop following your presentation, with GENEVA FORUM participants who will want to move forward with you.












On site, our team of one-on-one meetings will welcome you in a specific way as a carrier of alternative solutions, and will be in charge in particular of :

  • connect you with the existing Participatory Research Programmes in which your proposal can be the subject of a project
  • and/or accompany you in the creation of a new Participatory Research Programme if your proposal should be the subject of a fully-fledged Programme
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