Why It’s a Conference on Environment and Development
By Donella Meadows
–May 28, 1992–
Reporters are calling it the “Rio Conference” or the “Earth Summit.” Properly it is the “United Nations Conference on Environment and Development,” abbreviated UNCED, pronounced “unsaid.” What is mostly unsaid, at least in the Northern press, is the last word in that title — development.
Environment and development were set up as equal issues for UNCED for [...]
Who Cares Whether George Goes to Rio?
By Donella Meadows
–May 7, 1992–
Will George Bush go to the Earth Summit next month in Rio de Janeiro? U.S. politics and media, operating together in their perverse way, have made that the Environmental Question of the Day.
It is a confused and meaningless question. It muddles symbols with substance. It focuses on short-term national concerns and bypasses an exciting long-term global [...]
Will the Clean Air Act Stop Growth, or Will Growth Stop the Clean Air Act
By Donella Meadows
–April 17, 1992–
“We will not, given the current level of science, technology and the economy, … do something that could have serious effects on growth.”
A high official of the Bush administration made that statement a few weeks ago to explain why the White House opposes measures to reduce air pollution, acid rain, and greenhouse gas emissions. The policy [...]
My Three Minutes of Fame
By Donella Meadows
–February 20, 1992—-
The television people offered to pay my $400 plane fare to New York. Better come the night before, they said, in case there’s a blizzard. We’ll get you a hotel room. (Another $125.) Bring two suits, they said, to be sure one of them will match the set. Since I don’t own two suits, or even [...]
Dear Folks: January 26, 1992
Dear Folks, I can remember when winters around here were snowy from Thanksgiving to Easter. I can remember the snow being so high we could ski right over the garden fence. There were winters when the drifts mounted up higher than the kitchen window. We used to have to wear snowshoes just to do the chores.
Sigh. Now we have to wear [...]
