Sentence:  All this has <WSD>led</WSD> to an explosion of protest across China, including among a middle class that has discovered nimbyism. That worries the government, which fears that environmental activism could become the foundation for more general political opposition. It is therefore dealing with pollution in two ways—suppression and mitigation. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To tend or reach in a certain direction, or to a certain place.