I think you put this well: environmental concern is but an extension of an attempt at legitimizing rule. We know that China's relationship to nature has always been ambivalent, Mao's killing of the birds, etc. The technocratic solution reminds me of the Great Leap Forward, and we know how that top-down program worked. The nearest thing to grassroots environmentalism I saw while in China was the documentary, Under The Dome. (Is this the correct title?) And I believe that was yanked relatively quickly. At the high schools where I worked in Beijing, the students seemed to be aware of environmental issues, but I never sensed they had a feeling of urgency about them. Of course, they were skeptical/cynical enough to notice the blue skies that would suddenly appear around important meetings. I know that there are many good local initiatives at work, but even they cannot run ahead of the party's control. I have been following much of this on China Dialogue, which seems to be a good resource.