As the Climate Change conference gets underway in Paris, the effects of carbon emissions are becoming more visible in the world's largest polluter.
Until now China has been reluctant to commit to carbon emissions targets, but there are signs that those attitudes are changing.
The Qinghai Tibet plateau is home to one of the world's most extreme climates. The region's freezing rocky plains are the birthplace of most of Asia's weather patterns, but grassland that once supported herds of yak are turning to desert.
Qie Qun Jia is a Tibetan nomad who these days only has a flock of sheep.
"When I was little the grass grew tall and the mountains were covered with flowers," he told the BBC. "Summers were warmer and winters were much colder."
"But in recent years there've been so many sandstorms, the flowers are disappearing and the grazing gets worse year by year. So our flocks of sheep are shrinking. We can't afford to buy grass to feed them."
After 35 years of industrial growth, almost entirely powered by coal, China is suffering under the weight of its own environmental damage.
The country's people endure some of the world's most polluted air, soil and water, and several parts of the country struggle with gradual desertification or constant flooding.
China realises its dependence on fossil fuels must stop, and it is starting to take advantage of unique opportunities presented by new technologies for a greener future.
The Huanghe solar farm on the Qinghai plateau boasts nearly four million solar panels.
Senior engineer Shen Youguo told the BBC it is a big moment to be in solar energy in China.
"What we're doing right now is for the sky to be bluer and the water to be clearer," he said. "We want a better future for everybody. So we're committed to being a part of that push."
The International Energy Agency predicts that solar power will be the world's leading source of electricity by the middle of this century.
