For decades, the Sardar Sarovar Dam on India's Narmada River has been a powerful symbol of what is going wrong with large dam projects. A new independent review shows that the project's benefits have not been realized, while the social, environmental and financial costs are even more serious than expected.

China is the world's factory, and is developing its infrastructure and urban centers at breakneck speed. The country produces more steel than any other economy, and half the world's cement - a fact that is illustrated by huge construction sites in every neighborhood. The industrial sector takes up an astounding 72% of China's energy to feed this demand.