The public trust doctrine makes natural resources a part of the commons, owned equally by all, and legally owned by the state. The resources and opportunities that the present generation have inherited must be available to future generations in perpetuity. In the Goa mining case, the Supreme...

Hartwick's rule says that as mineral resources are extracted from the ground, investments in productive assets need to be made to leave future generations with as much assets as the present generation. This article examines whether mining in Goa meets Hartwick's rule, and finds that the state...