To say that China has experienced rapid economic rise over the past fifty years is an understatement; the nation transformed itself from a largely agrarian society into one of the world's most successful and powerful industrial giants. Through a series of economic, social and political reforms, the country launched headfirst into modernization and secured its place among the most influential global powers. However, a country that assigns its national responsibility solely to the process of modernization is doomed to ignore various sections of society, and in the case of China's rapid industrial growth, the cost of progress has taken the greatest toll on the environment. One of the most popular jokes during the 2008 Beijing Olympics was whether or not athletes would be able to breathe properly thanks to China's air quality. Yet this seemingly humorous observation highlights a problem that is hardly amusing. China has become the first country in terms of national level of greenhouse gas emissions, overtaking long-time leader America. This worrying "success story," along with many others that further undermine China's environmental and medical well-being, has led the government to recently undertake a series of dramatic environmental reforms in hopes of repairing the profound damage inflicted on the Chinese ecosystem. While China has succeeded in its journey to becoming a modern superpower, its current goal of mitigating the effects of climate change and pollution domestically is perhaps just as important to the country's future. To understand the scale of the environmental problems plaguing modern China, it is important to first contextualize and understand China...... middle of paper ... which constituted the largest hydraulic program in the world history. Yet the country's most dangerous environment lies in its historically unapologetic approach to industrialization and expansion. Recently, government officials have begun warning the nation of the dire consequences of expansion without consideration for the environment. Likewise, the country has strived to surpass all other countries in the world in terms of locally produced green technology. Each of these government programs and policies is an important step toward China's environmental restoration, but it must be understood that the nation still has a huge road to catch up. Indeed, if China intends to continue on its impressive trajectory, it is clear that it will have to direct its attention towards a different type of “green” initiative »..