Rio Plus Five and Going Backward
By Donella Meadows
–June 19, 1997–
Five years ago the leaders of 120 nations assembled at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and signed a list of environmental pledges called Agenda 21. Next week (June 23-27) the U.N. General Assembly will hold a special “Rio Plus Five” session to check their progress.
There has been no progress.
A UNEP report prepared for the [...]
As Individuals We Learn, As Organizations We Resist
By Donella Meadows
–March 20, 1997–
Though we humans grandly call ourselves Homo sapiens, “man the wise,” we also carry on a constant debate about how smart we really are. The argument goes on, because the answer isn’t obvious. There’s plenty of evidence of our brilliance and of our enduring foolishness.
The ultimate intelligence test is coming from the environment. Are we smart [...]
Kinder and Gentler to the Environment?
By Donella Meadows
–January 9, 1997–
Retaining ethically challenged Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House makes little difference to the environment. Much more important were the congressional committee chairmanships handed out last month. Despite Republican assurances to the contrary, those appointments indicate an ongoing disdain for the natural resources of our nation and the people who care about them.
American voters of [...]
We Walk On Earth With Big Feet
By Donella Meadows
–March 28, 1996–
Picture a city, with skyscrapers, roads, cars, towers, lights all jammed together. Now picture a huge, bare human foot reaching down from the city, stepping on the earth, crushing daisies.
That’s the image William Rees, professor of planning at the University of British Columbia, instills in the minds of his students. He calls it the Ecological Footprint, [...]
Environmental Zeros and Heroes of the 104th Congress
By Donella Meadows
–February 22, 1996–
All eyes are on the presidential contenders in the coming election, which is too bad, because (Bill Clinton being a jellyfish) it makes less difference who sits in the White House than which party dominates Congress. One of the vital matters hanging on that difference is the environment.
The starkness of the contrast between the two parties [...]
