So we've got a sort of hazmat suit coming out now. We've just got a zip down the front.

Hello and welcome to Business Daily from the BBC World Service. I'm Sam Fennick.

I'm going to put a mask on next. Put on, hair tucked in, zipped up, struggling to sleep.

Yes, I'm fully suited in protective gear

because this week on Business Daily

we're digging into one of the fastest growing

and geopolitically sensitive sectors in the world,

critical and rare earth minerals.

As you know, we're looking for rare earth all the time.

Rare earth is called rare for a reason.

You might have heard the phrase mentioned in speeches, trade deals and even diplomatic standoffs.

But what exactly are critical minerals?

Why do we need them so urgently?

And who controls the supply?

The race to secure critical minerals is on

and we're following it this week on Business Daily.

The sound you can hear is the blade of a wind turbine

slicing through the air,

a symbol of the world's push away from

fossil fuels and towards clean energy. But powering that turbine and the green transition it

represents takes more than just wind. It takes minerals, dozens of them, lithium, cobalt, nickel,

rare earth elements.

...