Chapter 28
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Donella Meadows (1941–2001) was a scientist trained in chemistry and biophysics (Ph.D., Harvard University). In 1970, she joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology team lead by Dennis Meadows that produced “World3,” a global computer model that explores the dynamics of human population and economic growth on a finite planet. In 1972, she was lead author of The Limits to Growth, the book that described for the general public the insights from the World3 modeling project. Limits was translated into twenty-eight languages and sparked debate around the world about the earth’s carrying capacity and human choices. Meadows went on to write nine more books on global modeling and sustainable development and for fifteen years she wrote a weekly column, “The Global Citizen,” reflecting on the state of our society and the complex connections in the world.
In 1991, Meadows was recognized as a Pew Scholar in Conservation and the Environment, and in 1994 she received a MacArthur Fellowship. She founded the Sustainability Institute in 1996 to apply systems thinking and organizational learning to economic, environmental, and social challenges. From 1972 until her death in 2001, Meadows taught in the Environmental Studies Program of Dartmouth College.