Australia holds a plethora of rare earths — minerals essential for all sorts of cutting-edge technologies from wind turbines to hypersonic missiles. Until now, most of them have been sent to be refined in China. But after last month's signing a $13 billion critical minerals deal with the US to boost production and refining, Australia must deal with some significant environmental challenges — mostly around water. Reporting by Libby Hogan and Xiaoning Mo. Video by Angelica Silva, ABC Asia Pacific

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