"Pollution has reached epidemic proportions in China, in part because the ruling Communist Party still treats environmental advocates as bigger threats than the degradation of air, water and soil that prompts them to speak out. Senior officials have tried to address environmental woes mostly through pulling the traditional levers of China’s authoritarian system ... But they do not dare to unleash individuals who want to make China cleaner. Grass-roots environmentalists ... face a political climate that varies from lukewarm tolerance to icy suppression." (Quoted from article)