Amazon mining at a critical point

A paving project in Mae do Rio in the Amazon, Para state, Brazil. Global demand for critical minerals, used to build drones and electric cars, is surging, setting off a new wave of criminality in the world’s largest rainforest. — Victor Moriyama/The New York Times

THE Amazon rainforest has been plundered for decades for rubber, timber and gold.

Now, seeking a new treasure, illegal prospectors are setting their sights on the critical minerals coveted by much of the world.