Russia and Its Neighbors - Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries - page 232

old Soviet laws and added a-half dozen others. Belarus is a party to inter-
national environmental treaties. On paper it has a range of environmental
laws, requires impact statements for new projects, and has the framework
for fees for polluters. Actual implementation is weak, however.
The central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and others
have inherited environmental problems from the old Soviet Union, and
furthermore have less money to address the problems. One of the most
dramatic is the disappearance of the Aral Sea. Back in the 1950s Soviet
planners decided to increase production of cotton, in order to have a cash
export crop. Irrigation increased and by the 1950s the two main tributary
rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, were diverted. Within a few years
the lake level began to drop as millions of hectares came under cultiva-
tion. As the sea shrank and became saltier, commercial fishing declined.
After 25 years, fishing disappeared, causing the loss of 60,000 jobs. As the
lakebed dried up, strong winds caused dust storms. At present the lake is
only a quarter as large as before.
Czechoslovakian environmental policies epitomize the political situa-
tion in Eastern Europe. Because the country was heavily industrialized,
its pollution was great. In many ways it followed the path of the Soviet
Union, but because of historic and cultural affinities to Western Europe
its course was modified. From 1945 to 1989 the Communist Party and
Soviet foreign and military policy dominated. The Soviets, after their vic-
tory against the Nazis, used the Red Army to impose control on Poland,
East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the Balkans. Communist
governments were installed and democratic forms were choked off. The
armies of these nations were put under the command of the Soviet Red
Army to defend against the West, and their foreign policy was oriented
to help the Soviet Union. Their industries were aligned with the USSR.
Factories emphasized manufacturing steel, cement, and heavy machinery,
and deemphasized consumer products. The fuel was often brown coal,
the most polluting form. As the most industrialized country in Eastern
Europe, Czechoslovakia bore the brunt.
Prior to World War II, Czechoslovakia had followed a course similar to
its Western neighbors. In the early 19th century, the Romantic Movement
swept through, glorifying nature and rural life. “Decorative clubs” emerged,
dedicated to safeguarding the landscape. Virgin forests were preserved. 6