Envisioning a Sustainable World
By Donella Meadows~
Written for the Third Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Ecological Economics, October 24-28, 1994, San Jose, Costa Rica1
Key Words
vision, sustainability, hunger, policy
Abstract
Vision is the most vital step in the policy process. If we don’t know where we want to go, it makes little difference that we make great progress. Yet vision is not only missing almost [...]
The Silence About GATT
By Donella Meadows
–October 20, 1994–
If NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) was controversial, GATT (the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) should be inflammatory. NAFTA linked the economies of Canada, the United States, and Mexico in a “free trade” zone; GATT links the world. NAFTA had weak agreements to protect labor and the environment; GATT has none.
But the nation [...]
Late Frost–A Leading Indicator of Climate Change?
By Donella Meadows
–October 13, 1994–
The first skim of frost came to my garden ten days late this year, on October 2. The squash leaves shriveled, the tomato vines turned black — but only on top. Underneath the plants stayed green and alive. Up by the house the marigolds and petunias were untouched. We had another week of grace before the [...]
Plutocrats Don’t Know What’s Good for Them, Or Us
By Donella Meadows
–October 6, 1994–
The word “plutocracy” comes from the ancient Greek “ploutos,” wealth, and “kratein,” to rule. Rule by the wealthy.
That’s what we have in this nation where it takes a pile of money in the five or six zeros even to think of running for office. There’s nothing inherently wrong with plutocracy — wealthy people are made up [...]
The Best City In The World? Making a solid case for better urban planning
By Donella Meadows
–Fall 1994–
Residents of Curitiba, Brazil, think they live in the best city in the world, and a lot of outsiders agree. Curitiba has 17 new parks, 90 miles of bike paths, trees everywhere, and traffic and garbage systems that officials from other cities come to study. Curitiba’s mayor for 12 years, Jaime Lerner, has a 92 percent approval [...]
