Contemporary China faces serious environmental problems which have been widely documented in the western media, usually accompanied by doom-laden assessments and predictions for the future. This is the first book to locate China's environmental problems in the context of her rapid industrialisation, urbanisation and transition to a market-oriented economy. Drawing on a wide range of Chinese and western sources, the book offers in-depth analysis of the complete range of environmental problems facing China today, from the historical, political, economic and cultural root causes, through the successful and unsuccessful efforts which have been made to find solutions, to possible future scenarios and strategies.