In part one of this three-part episode of A Rock and A Hard Place, our host Thomas Hale talks to Dr Corby Anderson of the Colorado School of Mines about the differing approaches to mineral security shown by the US and China. They explore why mining is a politically toxic issue, how it is more nuanced than is sometimes presented and how this impacts policy on critical metals and supply chain security. Dr Anderson speaks on the tension between a desire to transition to a green economy coupled with a reluctance to mine the necessary materials to secure it.