SWEDEN - Rare Earth Deposits Found
The beginning of the end of Europe’s dependency on China for precious rare earth materials may lie buried deep under the rugged reaches of northern Sweden, well above the Arctic Circle.
Sweden’s iron-ore miner LKAB said it has identified “significant deposits” in Lapland of rare earth elements that are essential for the manufacture of smartphones, electric vehicles and wind turbines.
The government-owned company that mines iron ore at Kiruna, almost 600 miles north of Stockholm, said there are more than 1 million tons of rare earth oxides.
The E.U. is also eager to learn from the past and reduce one-sided dependencies like the one it developed on Russia for oil and gas, only starting to cut ties recently after the war in Ukraine started with Moscow’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24.
“This must change,” said Swedish Industry Minister Ebba Busch, as European commissioners traveled to Kiruna to mark the start of Sweden’s six-month rotating E.U. presidency. “In the short run, we need to diversify our trade, but in the long run we can’t rely on trade agreements only. Electrification, the E.U.’s self-sufficiency and independence from Russia and China will begin in the mine.”
-www.nbcnews.com, 13 January 2023
Arno's Commentary
The united voice of the West is loud and clear: Russia is the villain. Thus, the search for rare earth deposits is racing forward. In this case, again we see how many experts in the field failed to accurately predict the future. Example: in Germany, forecasts were published warning of an incoming catastrophe unprecedented in history. Germany would be faced with incredible suffering because of lack of gas supplied by Russia. In reality, according to a German source, natural gas consumption for January 2023 is 25% lower than previous years. Storage facilities for natural gas are virtually filled to the brim at over 90%.
This shows that a modern, industrialized nation can cope even without Russian natural gas. Needless to say, the war will end sooner or later, and everything will go back to pre-war levels. In plain words, there is no stopping the world’s progress toward unity, prosperity, and security. Money is king: money rules. Not without reason, the Bible says: “For the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10a). It continues by warning the believer: “which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
