Hungary Seeks to Lift Blight of Pollution

As with most other Eastern European nations, Hungary is facing an environment crisis. The crisis was caused by an antiquated industrial machine that achieved production quotas by ignoring environmental impacts. It is reflected in widespread contamination of water supplies, heavy concentrations of chemicals on agricultural lands, and air laced with hazardous substances. The result is sickly trees in Hungary's forests and sickly people in its industrial centers. Despite massive political changes in Hungary and other Eastern European nations, the authors say that many of the same conditions that created the environmental problems persist - the assignment of a higher priority to economic and political goals than to environmental ones. Yet, the authors see hope in two significant steps: additional clout for state-sponsored environmental protection agencies and the growth and strengthening of citizen-led environmental groups. While warning that the people of Hungary must be prepared to weather the uncertainties and unpredictability of the nation's economic performance during this time of transition, they are optimistic that the people will insist that environmental concerns are integrated into the nation's future economic development strategies