美国、澳大利亚等国正加大在巴西的稀土矿产勘探投资力度，以寻求中国之外的替代供应。巴西拥有全球第二大稀土储量，仅次于中国1。过去三年内，巴西稀土勘探申请激增，占总申请数的86%以上，其中2026年上半年就提交了268份申请1。在这些申请中，外资申请占比超过40%，澳大利亚和美国企业居于主导地位1。国际能源署2022年的估计显示，到2040年全球稀土需求可能至少增长三倍1，这推动了各国对新矿源的争夺。
这一采矿热潮同时引发了重大环保和社会担忧。至少四分之一的勘探申请与保护区和土著领地重叠或距离在10公里以内1。加拿大企业Aclara Resources去年从美国国际开发金融公司获得500万美元项目融资1，而中国国有企业中国有色金属矿业集团也不甘落后，去年收购了锡矿生产商Mineracao Taboca，并计划评估其亚马逊矿山的稀土潜力1。为了应对这种局面，巴西总统卢拉周一表示参议院将推进关键矿产和稀土联邦政策的立法，要求外资企业必须向巴西转让技术1。
The United States, Australia, and other nations are significantly expanding their rare earth mineral exploration activities in Brazil, driven by the need to diversify supply sources beyond China.1 Brazil holds the world's second-largest reserves of rare earth minerals, trailing only China.1 Over the past three years, exploration applications in the country have surged dramatically, with rare earth exploration requests accounting for over 86 percent of total applications, reaching 268 submissions in the first half of 2026.1 Foreign companies have submitted more than 40 percent of Brazil's rare earth exploration applications, with Australian and American enterprises leading the charge.1
The International Energy Agency estimated in 2022 that global rare earth demand could increase at least threefold by 2040.1 This projected demand surge has prompted international investment in Brazil's mineral wealth. Canadian company Aclara Resources received $5 million in project financing from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation last year to support its ventures.1 Meanwhile, China's state-owned Minmetals Mining acquired tin producer Mineracao Taboca last year and plans to assess the rare earth potential of its Amazon mining operations.1
The exploration boom has triggered significant environmental and indigenous rights concerns. At least one-quarter of the exploration applications overlap with or fall within 10 kilometers of protected areas and indigenous territories.1 In response, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced Monday that the Senate will advance legislation on federal policy for critical minerals and rare earths, requiring foreign enterprises to transfer technology to Brazil.1
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