The legacy of environmental degradation in Eastern Europe under Soviet rule has been well documented in recent years since the fall of the iron curtain. Western media has been engulfed with horror stories from the former Soviet states and Poland in particular, known as the "Dirty man of Europe," has not escaped criticism for its environmental negligence. There are certainly some spectacular examples of disregard for the environment to be found in Poland; suffocating air …showed first 75 words of 1311 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1311 total…in Poland's struggle for political transformation during the 1980s, and environmental goals were embraced by Solidarity and other groups. Environmental issues also figured prominently in the historic "Round Table" discussions in 1989 between the Solidarity-led opposition, the outgoing Jaruselski government, and the newly elected democratic leadership. One result of these discussions was the Environmental Protocol, which outlined a national environmental policy for the next decade that called for fundamental changes in Poland's environmental laws and institutions.