To paraphrase President Barack Obama in one of his State of the Union Address, the nation that becomes the leader in clean energy economy will become the leader of the global economy.  How very true, indeed, especially when one considers that the renewable energy industry and its allied industries are growing by leaps and bounds even in the worldwide recession.  Any nation that can supply the increasing demand for all things related to renewable energy from the solar panels to the wind turbines will become rich by going green.

At present, it is China that is cashing in on the green revolution, with factories spread out over the rural and urban areas dedicated to the production of renewable energy equipment and materials.  This is very ironic considering that China is not exactly a nation that environmentalists will award the most eco-friendly in the world, far from it.  Then again, the United States is guilty of many dastardly acts against the environment, too.

Proofs of this fact are the following statistics of how China fares in comparison with its nearest competitor in the renewable energy industry.  First, China and the United States are the top two producers of greenhouse gases, with Russia, India and Japan close on their heels.

Second, China sources 70 percent of its power from coal at over 2.5 billion tons burned every year.  The United States uses 1.2 billion tons of coal annually but it represents 23 percent of total energy consumption.

Third, the United States has a population about a quarter of China’s but the sad fact is that the average American consumes more energy - 6 times more, to be exact - than your average Chinese in the mainland.  It may be changing, sure, but it might be a slow change.

Fourth, both China and America are thirsty for oil - 8 million for China and 19.5 million barrels for the United States, with China getting thirstier by the year.  We all know the effects of the use of fuel oil on the environment from the time it is mined to the time it is used on the vehicles.

And with the Chinese increasingly adapting to the consumerist society of the West, we can expect higher demands for energy.  The good news is that the Chinese government is also increasingly looking into renewable energy to take up the new demands for more and more energy to feed homes, offices and factories.

Unfortunately, this is where the United States must catch up before China leaves the country eating its dust.  And when that happens, we shall see a new leader in the global economy where renewable energy is king.  Depending on which side your loyalties lie on, you may see this as either a fortunate or an unfortunate thing.

With more and more Chinese renewable energy products like solar panels and wind turbines entering the United States, it is high time that the United States sits up and takes notice.  This is an opportunity just waiting to be tapped into.  The good news is that this opportunity will also provide thousands of jobs to Americans, in the same way that going green has made many Chinese workers richer, too.