Saving The Czech Environment

Environmental conditions in the former Czechoslovakia were disastrous 25 years ago. Unregulated mining and the production of steel, chemicals, and electricity were driving the economy. Forests were dying, soils contained toxic metals, and the water and air were badly polluted. Today, a stroll through a Czech park or a ride through the countryside on a bicycle or train shows almost no signs of the grim environmental past. Blue skies, thriving agriculture, crowded swimming lakes, and numerous cyclists and kayakers—the environment is typical of any European Union (EU) country. What transformed the extremely toxic Czech environment into a livable place is the story of a humble, passionate man whose tireless, secret efforts to understand the environmental problems plaguing his country eventually paid off. That influential man is Bedřich Moldan, the first Czech environment minister and founding director of the Charles University Environment Center, in Prague. A former analytical chemist, Moldan is ...