Might a green phoenix rise from red ashes? Is sustainable development for Ukraine and other post-communist nations possible after the previous regime's singleminded focus on industrial expansion was accomplished through the ruthless exploitation of natural resources>?

Extract

---

Might a green phoenix rise from red ashes? Is sustainable development for Ukraine and other post-communist nations possible after the previous regime's singleminded focus on industrial expansion was accomplished through the ruthless exploitation of natural resources>?

Is sustainable development for Ukraine and other post-communist nations possible after the previous regime's singleminded focus on industrial expansion was accomplished through the ruthless exploitation of natural resources?

THE METHANE EXPLOSION that blasted through the Gaegova coal mine added seven names to the list of nearly 4,000 Ukranian miners killed in accidents since 1991. Newspaper reports said the victims were suffocated or crushed beneath tons of coal. Several other miners were injured or poisoned. Although such incidents occur ,every few days, they represent only the acute face of mining-related trauma. As in many coal-rich nations, Ukraine's miners also suffer a shockingly rate of lung disabilities that shorten and degrade their lives.

Mining is dangerous work, and the human cost is evident in the grimy, fatigue-etched faces of the miners. Yet, there are other costs, too. The industry is drowning in debt, losing money fast, and operating only by $2,300,000,000 a year in government subsidies. Most mines are outmoded and inefficient, and prospective private buyers are scarce. Closing the mines to save money would be a difficult task anywhere, but in political...

See the full content of this document

---