By Pavel P. Antonov Illustration: Laszlo Falvay GUNS AND ROSES: Environment is the first to fall and the last to recover whenever there is war. We would like to believe that the environment is the most universal of causes; it's the place inhabited by us all, whether we're concerned with politics or business, health care or biology, public service or civil society. Yet I would bet there is something else that stirs greater passions in the hearts of more people around the world - war. War is the subject, and Iraq is the name that has dominated everything else in recent months. Environment is always one of the victims of war, however noble or unjust we find the cause. This lesson is still fresh in the memory of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Most recently it was retaught by the 1999 military action in Kosovo. Its serious impacts were addressed by a large-scale environmental reconstruction programme within the framework of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. A major effort to restore the region's natural treasures continues. Iraq shares a border with Turkey - an EU accession country that recently signed the REC charter. And war already takes its environmental toll there. Based on the damage caused by the 1990-1991 Gulf War and on data from more recent showdowns in former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan, the preservationist group BirdLife identified seven specific war related environmental risks. Among them were physical destruction and disturbance of natural habitats; reduction of biodiversity; toxic pollution from oil spills or oil-well fires; radiological, chemical and bio-toxic contamination; and increased human pressure caused by movements of refugees. The report also mentions the burning of wetlands and the wiping out of endemic species. As the weapons slowly cool down in Iraq, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)are approaching a milestone in their environmental progress since the political changes of the early 1990s - the Kiev ministerial conference. Twelve years after their seminar gathering in Dobris, Czech Republic, those involved in the Environment for Europe will convene for a fifth time. The May conference in Kiev will take stock of a period of reform of the region's legislative and administrative capacity. Up for review are initiatives on local air quality, economic instruments and strategic environmental assessment; a convention on public access to environmental information and justice, and more. CEE's rich experience in planning for a better environment means it has plenty to share for the follow-up process in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. And there remains much more to be done in CEE itself. EU accession will stimulate the economy, but will bring new environmental pressures. The people of this region should learn from the missteps of the West, or their dream of pecuniary gains could turn into a nightmare. In the wake of Kiev, CEE has a unique chance to take the lead in planning and implementing social changes for sustainable development. For this the region needs to realise its own unique potential for good governance, social equity and sustainability, and replace the "copy and paste" approach to the West with a stable and energetic environmental action.

Letters to the editor