World Bank head Robert Zoellick says the U.S. dollar's reserve currency is in jeopardy, and that, "looking forward, there will increasingly be other options to the dollar."

Same goes for U.S. business schools, which have long been considered the top-notch places to hone one's entrepreneurial chops.

China is planning to draw 2,000 managers per year to its Institute for Sustainable Communities Environment, Health and Safety Academy, where execs at foreign companies—from Adidas to Starbucks to Honeywell—will learn how China is planning to cut its end-to-end manufacturing emissions.

Those top-tier participants in ISC programming will take home lessons about how the world's biggest emerging polluter plans to slash greenhouse gas output, and factory managers who complete ISC courses will help nix 5.6 million metric tons of harmful air over the next few years.

"For the first time this month China issued sovereign bonds to offshore investors in Yuan,"  Robert Zoellick added, to a gathering of graduate students who will no doubt see ascendant China as a fact of their professional lives.

And for businesspeople who plan to integrate into a low-emissions reality after this winter's COP-15 UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen, the need to recognize China's leading role will be essential as well.

-Sam Hopkins