The excessive amount of plastic in the world’s oceans has wreaked havoc on the environment. Now, the biggest offender of plastic mismanagement, China, is taking steps to remedy its system and limit the amount of plastic waste it produces.

The efforts of the Chinese government to increase the electrification of their auto industry have caused an impressive increase in China’s use of renewable energy. It’s time for the US to catch up.

All over the developed world, children are spending more time sedentary and in front of screens. Nature education is rising in popularity in China and the United States as a way to combat the detrimental effects of “nature-deficit disorder,” and instead offer children a healthy, satisfying and mutually sustaining relationship with the natural world.

China produces approximately 30 million tonnes of organic sludge annually - only approximately one-fifth of which is properly treated. A deadly combination of pollution and scarcity now threatens the future of China’s cities. New wastewater technologies being explored and piloted in both the United States and China can serve as a much-needed point of collaboration and exchange between the two nations.

How is the tension between conservation and urbanization playing out in China?

Discussion of the Belt and Road Initiative usually encompasses the likelihood of it changing global trade patterns, while less attention has been paid to the environmental impact of such a massive infrastructure development plan. However, the BRI provides a unique opportunity to raise the standards of environmental protection around the world.

The challenges China faces in combating climate change are similar to those the U.S. faced.

China plans to stop accepting imports of solid waste materials by end of 2017. This ban is expected to improve China’s domestic environmental and food safety issues. While the U.S. recycling industry is worrying about the economic damage of this policy change, the ban could trigger a positive change in U.S. domestic recycling policies.

The path of green and low-carbon development outlined in the Paris Agreement fits beautifully with China’s strategy to develop an ecological civilization. Hard-won and embraced by virtually every country, its spirit stands in stark contrast to the new US president’s lack of forward thinking.

With the US now unwilling to pay the price of global leadership, other countries will seize both the opportunities and the responsibility to make the Paris accord work.