The mineral-rich mountains of Tibet have been landscapes of solitude, where the greatest yogis withdrew from society to deeply realize the nature of the human mind. Those sacred landscapes and pilgrimage routes, hitherto largely untouched by China's growing economy, are now officially designated as mineral extraction enclaves. China's 12th Five-Year Plan, from 2011 to 2015, calls for massive investment in copper, gold, silver, chromium and lithium mining for the world's factory, with devastating environmental and social outcomes. Despite great interest in Tibet worldwide, Spoiling Tibet is the first book that investigates mining at the roof of the world - an entirely unique authoritative guide through the torrent of online posts, official propaganda and exile speculation.