China is attempting to pursue the same impossible path as the rest of the world: generating consumer demand and wealth without destroying its natural resources and the planet.

Tata Power, which is hoping to commission its 4,000-mw ultra mega power plant (UMPP) in Mundra early next year, has been dealt a blow by the Indonesian government, which has called for a sharp increase in the price of coal exported out of the country. At current prices of $110 per tonne of coal, the increased cost could set the company back by about $100 million when all five units are up and running.

Arguing that indiscriminate exploitation of mineral resources was leading to alienation amongst local tribal populations and furthering the cause of Naxalite groups, Minister for Tribal Affairs V Kishore Chandra Deo has advocated a ban on export of raw materials like iron ore or bauxite. Mineral resources like iron ore should be declared "national wealth" and their use must be regulated in the larger interest of the country, Deo said in an interview.