Just as the pace of growth of China’s economy has prompted amazement, so too has the environmental damage the boom is causing. While the country has emerged as the factory of the world in the past 20 years, it is also quickly becoming one of the planet’s main sources of pollution.

With the economy galloping along at a growth rate of 11 per cent a year, China’s emissions of greenhouse gases could surpass the US as soon as the end of this year, according to the International Energy Agency.