WORKSHOP PAPERS
There are several areas in the Czech Republic in which everyone is an expert. Or at least they are convinced they are an expert. Mass transport is one of them. (It is evident that in Prague everyone knows where a metro station or a tram stop should be situated, what the density and quality of the particular form of public transport should be, and so forth. Usually everyone 'knows'). The second area in which this attitude is evident, perhaps even more so, is the environment. 'Ecology', 'environmental policy', why, any term will suffice, because those people who use it usually do not know the meaning of the term at all. The environment as an issue offers immense opportunities for political, individual, and group exhibitionism, in the guise of a public and therefore defensible interest.
A lack of professional knowledge in this sphere is clearly evident in the mass media, where writers (usually amateurs) mix concepts and ideas, and professional journalists write without sufficient knowledge of the real context. Unfortunately, this phenomenon sometimes also appears in state administration, because in order to promote a good idea, i.e., environmental protection, the state often employs ecological 'enthusiasts' with little professional knowledge. (Author's note; and as we know, the greatest damage is caused by ignorant enthusiasts.)
The environment has also long been overlooked in terms of education, or rather in providing opportunities for education. Environmental issues were not dealt with in syllabi in secondary schools or at universities. With the exception of those branches which dealt directly or indirectly with nature or human health (i.e., the Faculties of Agriculture, Natural Sciences or Medicine), invariably only certain aspects of environmental protection were dealt with, depending on the orientation of the given school. And little or no complex approach was applied. This was the result of a lack of 'social demand' for environmental specialists, resulting in almost anyone being able to pass as one.
The first amendment to the situation was made by the Water Act, No. 138/1973, and the related Decree No. 42/1976 of the Ministry of Forests and Water Resources. Article 1 specified the criteria for employment in water management positions, and enterprises in the field were obliged to appoint qualified individuals. Article 16 of Act No. 458/1992 on State Administration in Water Management, similarly obliged companies dealing with water resources to appoint 'qualified' water managers. However, this often resulted in charging the only person in the company with a degree of qualification relevant to environmental protection with responsibility. (It should be noted that within the bounds of this function, the individual was also gradually assigned a number of other duties such as fire engineer and safety engineer).
The professional qualification of these individuals has since been gradually supplemented through the provision of postgraduate courses, for example, those offered by the State Energy Inspectorate (SEI) of the Czech Republic through its district offices. The standards of these courses should not be undervalued, however, for the SEI has gradually established a team of good instructors. The late ing. J. Vavroucek, for example, cooperated with this institution. These courses originally focused on training water managers with a secondary education, however, they have gradually broadened their scope and now include the entire sphere of environmental problems, including a basic legal knowledge requisite to environmental protection. Postgraduate courses are now provided not only by the SEI, but also by the Energy Institute ABF Prague, and many others. The professional level of graduates emerging from these courses varies widely, depending on the management of training centres and on the quality of the given instructor. A good instructor, however, is also an expensive instructor.
Within the sphere of university education the situation has also much improved not only because courses have been established which focus on the environment, but because many universities now deal with environmental issues within the scope of their present programmes, for example, the Faculties of Chemistry and Agriculture of the Charles University in Prague.
The problem facing graduates and those enrolled in educational programmes focused on environmental protection is, however, the complexity of the issue. Environmental protection is a multi-disciplinary subject. The universities which presently deal with this sphere are still an integral part of the traditional educational system and thus prefer tested approaches (i.e., technical universities prefer a technocratic approach and its respective solutions, and schools which concentrate on natural sciences prefer a 'protective' approach).
The approach to environmental protection, however, must unify technical, natural sciences, and medical (human health protection) knowledge combined with a knowledge of law. Over-emphasis in any one of these spheres will tend to harm the whole. From this point of view, we might compare an ecologist to wine (vintners will excuse me, I hope). An ecologist must become 'ripe'. And in this respect, certain ecological initiatives reflect the adage, "Young wine means a headache."
The Ministry of Environment (MoE) has found this integrated approach to be lacking in a number of other areas also, including ecological auditing and environmental impact assessment (EIA). Both of these are areas considered to be increasingly important and are covered by the Act on the Environment No. 17/1992, Articles 20-26, and Act No. 244/1992 on EIA. The EIA process is one area which now demands a professional examination which must be passed before an individual can be certified to conduct an EIA. The examination (details of which are specified in MoE Decree No. 499/1992) demand a knowledge of the following areas:
The examination, in dealing with the issue of EIA, also attempts to provide a more integrated approach in the area of environmental protection. A number of educational institutions and agencies have thus used this opportunity to prepare various courses to facilitate individuals in preparing for the examination. However, the subjects taught on these courses vary considerably, and this is reflected in the wide-ranging level of professionals produced as a result. In spite of the 410 certified professionals now maintained by the MoE, this only seems to confirm that achieving a more integrated approach to environmental protection is not only a matter of education and passed examinations, but also requires a more in-depth understanding of environmental processes and of the concept of an environmentally sustainable future.