The most serious current environment-related problems in Hungary include drought stress (due to climatic change) as well as the strongly polluted state of the natural environment caused by different chemicals. Toxic heavy metals salts are among the major pollutants. There is a continuing need for new approaches in understanding the mechanisms of environmental stress phenomena in plants. Despite the long history of research into their effects of the environment, researchers are still in the phase of discovery and hypothesis formation concerning the understanding and, if possible, predicting and counteracting ecological implications of drought and heavy metal pollution. It seems that oxidative processes play an important role in the damaging effects of both drought and heavy metal stress.