China's appetite for raw materials to fuel resurgent growth probably explains the 36% rise in industrial raw-material prices since the start of this year, benefiting exporters of things like copper though how long this will last is an open question.
ArcelorMittal estimated that shipments will decline in the second half of 2011 as industrial consumers built up their rawmaterial inventories during the first half.
The other rawmaterial for photosynthesis, carbon dioxide, will be supplied as the exhaust from industrial plants such as power stations, oil refineries and natural-gas processors.