• the poor state of environmental data monitoring and collection
• the prevalence of economic considerations and the low transparency of the decision- making process
• the lack of feedback in the decision-making system
• open or covert noncompliance of private and public entities with the existing ecological standards

The paper argues that overcoming these issues would require a new paradigm based on a clearly defined national idea supported by a stronger civil society. According to the study, the following problems require immediate attention:

• the melioration of the Polesye wetlands, which the author argue provide a significant share of the European bio-diversity and play an important role in the atmospheric equilibrium in Europe
• the commercial timber production in Belovezhskaya Puscha – the oldest forest in Europe having one of the most diverse ecosystems on the continent
• the pollution of groundwater, it is claimed that over 80% is below standard

The paper finds that:

• the consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster were especially damaging as Belarus received around 70% of the total radioactive fallout
• the government effort at dealing with the effects of the disaster is inappropriate, since only a small fraction of the budget for Chernobyl- related activities is directed to the reclamation of the agricultural land and other clean-up activities
• the lack of funds to carry out adequate radiation monitoring in the contaminated areas is another area of concern

The paper concludes that the existing environmental performance of Belarus is unsatisfactory and that the world community should assume responsibility for some of the Belarus’ environmental problems.