ABSTRACT
Poland has one of the worst environmental records in Europe. In comparison to other Central and East European countries Poland still has a disproportionately higher level of environmental pollution. This is in large part due to the legacy of the previous political system; it was an inescapable side-effect based on the following particular features of the Communist regime:
(1) the years of long dominance of the most energy consuming and harmful industries, particularly minerals extraction and metallurgy;
(2) the construction of huge industrial plants, usually located in already heavily industrialised areas;
(3) the wasteful use of low-priced minerals, energy and water in production processes, and the resulting release of excessive quantities of waste into the environment;
(4) pricing of goods without regard for their real production costs.
