2026 Documentaries · Episode 15

The raw materials dilemma: Europe, China, and the Green Deal

• Release date
• February 18, 2026
• Runtime
• 43 min

Europe wants to encourage economic growth, while also saving our planet from climate collapse. The name of the plan to do this is the "Green Deal.” Under the Green Deal, electric cars are supposed to replace combustion engines, and renewable energies will be used instead of coal, oil, and gas. But green technologies require many critical raw materials, like lithium and rare earths. But these raw materials are rarely mined in Europe anymore. Currently, they come from faraway places like Africa, South America, Russia, and above all, China.