Karsztvízkonfliktus: a bányászati vízkitermeléssel kapcsolatos tudományos és közéleti viták a Hévízi-tó példáján

Scientific and public debates concerning the management and utilization of karst-water in the Transdanubian Mountains have been amongst the significant environmental controversies in Hungary. The karst water issue culminated in the so-called Hévíz-Nyirád debate, which also became a catalyst for political transition, mostly on the local level. The aim of this study is twofold: firstly, to analyze contemporary scientific debates from the point of view of the history of science and sociology, and to illustrate the different approaches and strategies of the participants in the debates; and secondly, to discuss how it was debated in public forums. The two discussions have one thing in common: water played a key role in each. In the context of the urgent environmental problems of the 21st century, it is instructive to rethink our relationship with water and the environment, as a rethinking of older issues can help.