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Central and Eastern Europe Environmental Issues

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Central and Eastern Europe Environmental Issues
Abstract Eastern Europe’s environmental problems are not as simple as they may seem on the surface. The environmental problems that face Eastern Europe are complicated by political, economic, and social implications. The current environmental problems are a bi-product of rapid industrial expansion under a socialist government. The soviet government was more concerned with surpassing the western cultures in technology and military might than the environmental damage they were doing to their country. The following paragraphs will address the current environmental problems facing Eastern Europe, the various solutions to the environmental problems, and the efforts taken to correct the environmental problems.

Environmental Problems in Europe
Eastern Europe during the 1980s had rapidly become the industrial giant for the Soviet Union. Massive industrial factories would be built throughout the eastern bloc of the Soviet Union and the factories used obsolete technology to provide the industrial needs of the country. “The heavy industrial activity characteristic of the post-World War II period took a heavy toll on both the region's population and its environment“(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2010). Various local populations were suffering from high rates of cancer, respiratory issues, and infant mortalities. The environments in the areas around the industrial regions were also being damaged on unprecedented levels. Legacy of Pollution According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2010),
The outmoded, energy-intensive technologies were such an integral part of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and New Independent States of the former Soviet Union (NIS) region's economy in the post-war era not only wasted resources, but also caused severe local, regional, and trans-boundary pollution problems. Not only was the industrial technology outdated, the communication among the post-war government, local governments, and various environmental



References: Air Scrubbers, Wet Scrubbers and Gas Scrubbers. (2011). Retrieved from http://http://www.globalspec.com/LearnMore/Manufacturing_Process_Equipment/Air_Quality/Scrubbers Clean Air Trust. (1999). Sulfur Dioxide. Retrieved from http://www.cleanairtrust.org/sulfurdioxide.html Liroff, R. A. (1990, August). Eastern Europe: Restoring a damaged environment. EPA Journal, Vol. 16(Issue 4), p50. Clean Energy. (2007,Dec,28). Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/affect/air-emissions.html U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2010, December 09). Dark Past, Bright Future: Environmental Cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States (EPA 160-K-98-002). Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/international/regions/Europe/darkpast.htm Safer solutions. (2010). Spike. Retrieved from http://www.safersolutions.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=193&Itemid=133

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