Environmental conflicts are the source of many large-scale popular protests in China, with some protests substantially endangering social order. Such protests have often prompted severe counter measures by both national and local government, but have often then gone on to result in compromises whereby the demands of protesters have been largely met. This book considers the nature of environmental conflicts in China and the way in which national and local governments have handled the situations. It includes detailed case studies of particular conflicts, relates the governance of environmental conflicts in China to wider discussions on the nature of governance and examines under what conditions government in China makes compromises. The book concludes by assessing the lessons for the future.