To say that China has experienced rapid economic rise over the past fifty years is a gross understatement; the nation transformed from a predominantly agricultural society into one of the world's most powerful and successful industrial giants. Through a series of economic, social and political reforms, the country rushed headlong towards modernization and secured its place among the most influential world powers. However, a country that places its national responsibility solely on the process of modernization is bound to ignore various aspects of society, and in the case of China's rapid industrial growth, the cost of progress has had the greatest impact on the environment. One of the most popular jokes during the 2008 Beijing Olympics was about whether or not athletes would be able to breathe properly due to China's air quality, but this seemingly funny observation highlights an issue that is hardly a laughing matter. China has become the leading country in terms of the national level of greenhouse gas emissions, surpassing the long-time leader, America. This disturbing “finding,” as well as numerous others that further undermine China's environmental and medical well-being, have led the government to recently undergo a series of dramatic environmental reforms that hope to repair the profound damage that has been inflicted on China's ecosystem . Although China has successfully completed its path to becoming a modern superpower, its current goal of mitigating the effects of climate change and pollution domestically is perhaps equally important for the country's future. To understand the scope of the environmental problems facing modern China, it is important to first contextualize and understand China... at the center of the paper... what was the largest hydraulic program in world history. Yet at the heart of the nation's most dangerous environment is the nation's historically brazen approach to industrialization and expansion. Recently, government officials have begun warning the nation of the disastrous consequences of expansion without consideration for the environment. Likewise, the nation has made a declared effort to surpass every other country in the world in terms of domestically produced green technology. Each of these government programs and policies represents an important step toward China's environmental recovery, but it must be understood that the nation still has enormous ground to make 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 kind of “green” initiative”.