Is China totally bi-polar or what? Day after day, the news is full of stories about the terrible pollution that’s ruining China’s air, soil, and water. Athletes set to compete in the upcoming Olympics are worried about filling their lungs with all that bad Beijing air. U.S. consumers are turning up their noses at China’s toxin-tainted fish. And China’s on the verge of surpassing us as the world’s number one emitter of greenhouse gases as more and more Chinese abandon their bicycles in favor of cars. But researchers from Worldwatch are convinced that China’s poised to become the world leader on renewable energy, according to the AFP:

“I think China will be number one in less than three years in every renewable energy market in the world,” Worldwatch president Chris Flavin told reporters at the launch of the annual “State of the World” report”"”Although there are some great success stories in Europe in terms of renewable energy, I don’t think anyone can compare with China in terms of the speed with which new markets have been created and in the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of new laws.”

Meanwhile, American cars don’t meet China’s fuel-efficiency standards, while China produces a grade of plywood especially for Home Depot that’s too toxic to sell in China. Our president is, ostensibly, “the Leader of the Free World,” and yet the only thing we lead the world in these days is the number of people we send to jail. As John Edwards is fond of saying, we’re better than this. At least I’d like to hope so. I’d love to see the next occupant of the White House bring back solar panels a la Jimmy Carter, but let’s face it–if they do, the panels will probably be made in China.