China's economic emergence portends a dramatic shift in the North-South balance of economic activity, its attendant environmental consequences, and the global policy dialogue governing these issues.  If its growth rates of the last two decades prove sustainable into a significant part of this century, China's transition from an agrarian society, through rapid industrialization, to a first-tier economic power will change the global geography of energy use and climate-linked economic activity in ways that are only beginning to be anticipated.  In order to more effectively respond to these issues, it is essential to improve visibility for policy makers about the consequences of China's emergence for global patterns of energy use and climate change, Drawing upon prior empirical work, this talk will survey the economic implications of China's emergence and discuss how this analysis can be extended to shed light on evolving patterns of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.