Population, Poverty, And Planet Earth
Population is the issue no one wants to touch, yet the answer to the problem is as close as our own hearts
By Donella H. Meadows
–Spring 1992–
Week after week, Donella H. (Dana) Meadows has been brightening op-ed pages around the country with her penetrating, inspiring, yet folksy newspaper column, “The Global Citizen.” (A collection of her columns under the same title [...]
We Can’t Go On Growing This Way
By Donella Meadows
–April 2, 1992–
Twenty years ago there were 3.6 billion people in the world. Now there are 5.5 billion. In another twenty years, according to United Nations projection, there will be 7.5 and by the end of the next century 12.5 billion.
In 1970 the world had 250 million automobiles. In 1990 there were 560 million. Still only about 10 [...]
What on Earth to do About Population?
By Donella Meadows
–November 7, 1991–
The World Bank has just raised its projection for the population of the world by another billion. The population will level off toward the end of the next century, says the Bank, not at 11.5 billion as previously thought, but at 12.5 billion.
That item didn’t make the news, although there could hardly be tidings of greater [...]
Nobody Ever Dies of Overpopulation
By Donella Meadows
–July 11, 1991–
In April 1991 a great storm roared from the sea into the river delta of Bangladesh and killed a number of people that will never be accurately known, but that is estimated at over 125,000. Hundreds of thousands of cattle were killed, nine million people were left homeless, 20,000 square miles of farmland (that’s almost 13 [...]
Anyone Want to Bet the Planet?
By Donella Meadows
–March 28, 1991–
Some of our most controversial scientists have taken up a new pastime — making bets about the environmental future.
One such bet was put forward by James Hansen, head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Hansen is known for dramatic Congressional testimony to the effect that the greenhouse warming is already here. Last summer he offered [...]
