When it comes to the environment, Europe is a land of contrasts. The countries of the West have some of the most vigorous anti-pollution laws and some of the most energetic environmental parties in the world. The countries of the East, saddled with the legacy of a communist system that emphasized economic production over environmental protection, host some of the most ecologically devastated landscapes on the planet. What does the future hold for this ancient continent's environment? This volume, part of the "World Environments" series, tackles the tough issues, the complex problems, and the political controversies surrounding the continent's checkered environmental past, complicated present and uncertain future. The book looks at the catastrophes - in January 2000, a massive spill of cyanide and heavy metals from a gold mining operation in Romania destroyed all biological life in the Tisza, Hungary's second biggest river. The poisons travelled 1000 kilometres through Hungary and Yugoslavia where they wreaked havoc on the Danube. It also examines the progress - European society has shown a greater interest in renewable energy technologies than most other industrialized regions in the last 30 years. Serving as a blueprint for the future, as well as a roadmap of the past, this work offers a look at Europe's ecological history.