China Will Dethrone the U.S.A.

China has prepared to host the Olympics in grand style.  Experts predict that the era of United States domination is over.

During the bid for the 2008 Olympics China presented its vision of a "green Olympics."  Since winning the bid for the Olympics, China has spent over $16 billion on environmental initiatives.  As evidence, Chinese officials noted that Beijing experienced only 100 days of good air quality in 1998 while there were 241 good air days in 2007.

Regardless of how the Chinese government attempts to spin the air quality issue, the recent evidence highlights the seriousness of pollution in China.  Despite ordering 50% of cars off the road weeks before the start of the games, smog engulfed the Olympics venue again Tuesday.

One has to truly feel sorry for the Olympic athletes who have trained their entire lives for the 2008 games only to expose their lungs to the equivalent of 40 packs of cigarettes per day.  When they should be experiencing the atmosphere of the Olympic village and the opening ceremonies, the athletes are opting to stay at home until a few days before their events.

China may or may not dethrone the United States in terms of medal count but it is certain that these Olympic Games mark the point in time where China dethrones the United States in greenhouse gas emissions by volume.  United States domination is now over.

United States citizens should not fret however.  The U.S.A still has a massive lead of greenhouse gas emissions per capita, 5 times more than China.