In 2010, a quiet but strategic event took place which would later alter the world’s relationship with critical minerals. Following a maritime dispute with Japan, China implemented a temporary ban on rare earth element exports to Japan. The ban sent ripple effects down supply chains across the world – especially the automotive sector in Japan. Prices skyrocketed overnight. The world experienced perhaps for the first time in a meaningful way, that critical minerals like lithium and cobalt were not simply technical inputs; they were the new oil. They…