This month we dig deep into clean energy & smart tech, only to find shades of grey and a black market lurking upstream in the global supply of rare earths. Although mostly unpronounceable, rare earths used everywhere & every day are highly polluting resulting in contaminated drinking water sources, “cancer villages” and toxic e-waste in China. Can we build a clean & smart future on toxic rare earths? Find out if your smartphone, tablet or electric car is party to this “open dirty secret”. Are electronic giants and other countries helping China with the crackdown on this black market? Find out more. Elsewhere, Green Initiatives has launched the [WE] Project in Shanghai to ensure safe and easy ways to tackle e-waste and WRI China has released new Baseline Water Stress maps for China with higher granularity. We also look into options for the parched North: how wind & solar power can provide relief and how the Hebei pilot in Water Resource Tax reform can point the way forward in groundwater management. With much at stake, it is crucial to get on top of these “hidden risks”. Accelerated adoption of ‘clean’ tech since COP21 means it is time to rethink our clean & smart future to ensure we do not build it on a foundation of environmental crime and illegal trade at the expense of China’s water resources.