The focus of this paper is environmental issues facing Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union as they struggle with the momentous tasks of economic and political reform. Given the important role that environmental protest played in the upheavals, environmentalists have claimed a mandate for strong environmental controls. The state of the environment and its effects on the health of the inhabitants, plants, and animals are discussed. Chapters include: (1) "Industrial Wastelands"; (2) "The Health Toll"; (3) "Declining Biological Productivity"; (4) "The Green Movement"; (5) "The Official Response"; and (6) "A Policy Agenda." (KR)