PANEL ON THE STATE OF THE SOVIET ENVIRONMENT AT THE START OF THE NINETIES

Abstract
A panel of geographers assesses the current state of the Soviet environment based on information released for the first time in two recent Soviet publications (Doklad, 1989; Okhrana, 1989). Topics covered include air and water quality, water resource conservation, agricultural resources, mineral resource consumption and land reclamation, toxic waste disposal, forest resources, and wildlife conservation. Other issues addressed include data reliability, glasnost' and the environment, possible consequences of regional and ethnic differences for environmental policy, and the components of a realistic environmental agenda in the context of limited financial resources and the enormous and escalating costs of clean-up.