All Global Citizens columns are licensed under a Creative Commons License. DMI encourages you to share this content by following these easy steps.
Why Was Anyone Surprised by the Exxon Valdez?
By Donella Meadows
–April 13, 1989–
After weeks of front-page publicity, it’s time to put the wreckage of the Exxon Valdez in perspective.
The amount of oil spilled was 240,000 barrels, enough to supply United States consumption for about 20 minutes.
It was one percent of the 26 million barrels of oil normally spilled into the oceans each year — about one out of [...]
Denmark’s Hazardous Waste Disposal System
By Donella Meadows
–April 6, 1989–
In low-lying Denmark people do not live very far from their groundwater. Whatever they dump onto the land ends up in their wells, and quickly. Back in 1970, before Love Canal, before Times Beach, before any hazardous waste disaster in their own land, the Danes were working out how to prevent such disasters. By 1975 they [...]
“Clean-up” is the Wrong Word
By Donella Meadows
–March 30, 1989–
Exxon has just hired 100 people at $16 an hour to “clean up” the massive oil spill near Valdez.
The government estimates that “cleaning up” the radioactive contamination at its weapons plants will cost over $100 billion.
The states have submitted a list of 2000 hazardous waste sites for priority “clean-up” under Superfund.
What does “clean up” mean? When [...]
Burning Coal in Connecticut, Planting Trees in Guatemala
By Donella Meadows
–March 23, 1989–
Applied Energy Services (AES) of Arlington, Virginia, has come up with a way to do something that everyone thought was impossible. It is building a coal-burning electric plant that will not add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere — which means it will not worsen the greenhouse effect and hasten global climate change.
The plant will also be [...]
The Senior Citizens of 2089
By Donella Meadows
–March 16, 1989–
Ann Landers ran a tribute recently to today’s senior citizens, who have survived a lifetime of change.
She pointed out that they were here before the Pill, penicillin, plastic, and pantyhose, before television, Xerox, ball point pens. Before tape recorders, much less CD players, before the 40-hour week, co-ed dormitories, computers. They have gone through a lot. [...]
