Social Factors Affecting Sustainable Development in Poland

This article presents the process that shaped society in Poland and whose important characteristic was to make it aware of the issues related to the ecological crisis. This process began at the end of World War II and symbolically ended when the “Polski Klub Ekologiczny” (PKE – Polish Ecological Club) was established, in 1980. This was the first public institution which monitored the condition of the natural environment. The PKE reports included an assessment of pro-ecological actions undertaken in Poland and suggested options to overcome the current threats to the environment. According to the author of this paper, the decisive moment in shaping the pro-ecological awareness of the public was the period of preparation and publication of the Brundtland Report, in 1987