On the 13th of March, 2026, Donella “Dana” Meadows might have been celebrating her 85th birthday. But Dana passed away exactly 25 years ago (plus a few weeks). Not quite 60 years old at the time, she was taken in the full flower of her career by a sudden bacterial illness. The randomness of her … Continue reading “A Lifetime of Rejoicing”: Remembering Donella Meadows
Sustainable Development
After the Shock Fades
What happens after our shock fades? That was the question asked by an old friend and colleague of mine, Robin DiAngelo, and her writing partner Delta Shelby Larkey in an opinion article published in the Minnesota Star Tribune a few weeks ago. For those of us who count as ordinary people, and who were glued … Continue reading After the Shock Fades
Keeping the Earth in the Center — Especially When That’s Extremely Difficult
We live in a living planet. Notice I wrote “in” where your mind was expecting “on”. That little word “on” can lead us astray, mentally. We do not live “on top of” but rather inside a sphere of pulsing, dynamic systems, a colorful, evolving kaleidoscope of life that is the most wonderful and visible characteristic … Continue reading Keeping the Earth in the Center — Especially When That’s Extremely Difficult
Canada is in the Center
Quick summary: Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, with inspiration from Václav Havel, has put Canada in the middle of a global discussion about the future of our world in an age of broken international trust. I just wish he were wrong. (Read the article …)
Greenland is in the Center
Last week I wrote a somewhat dispassionate (on purpose) defense of holding the center — or what used to be the center — politically. The theme of my article was resisting the current tendency towards outrage and ethical compromise that is partly driven by social media, partly by today’s dramatic and extreme political climate, and … Continue reading Greenland is in the Center
Holding the Center in Difficult Times
A reflection on how not to go mad when things seem to be going crazy The first time I voted in the US presidential election, in 1980, I cast my vote for Congressman John Anderson. He was a former Republican running as an independent on a socially-liberal, fiscally-conservative platform. Anderson’s quixotic campaign is mostly forgotten … Continue reading Holding the Center in Difficult Times
Celebrating a very positive, independent evaluation of GWP
This is a copy of a post I shared on LinkedIn, 5 Jan 2026. Reading the evaluation of GWP that I write about below was a great way to start the year, from a personal-professional point of view. /Alan Sometimes, all too rarely, you get to see documented proof that your work has contributed to … Continue reading Celebrating a very positive, independent evaluation of GWP
Dear Santa Claus: So Sorry About the North Pole (2025 edition)
Update 17 Dec 2025: Times have changed, and I have realised that this article needs a short framing intro. Climate science is in trouble. Funding is being cut. Information is disappearing. To draw a little attention to this and other issues, I returned to a format I first introduced in 2003: a darkly humorous "Letter … Continue reading Dear Santa Claus: So Sorry About the North Pole (2025 edition)
A song of melancholy and last-chance hope: Why I wrote “The Last Dice”
In September 2011, I found myself unexpectedly wandering the streets of Istanbul. I say “unexpectedly” because there was revolution in Syria, a growing social uprising that would eventually ignite an all-consuming civil war. Security concerns had made going back to the city of Aleppo, which is where I had expected to be, impossible. Click to … Continue reading A song of melancholy and last-chance hope: Why I wrote “The Last Dice”
I asked ChatGPT to analyse the new US National Security Strategy
After reading the new National Security Strategy of the United States of America, recently released by the White House, I thought, "I used to advise US military bases on their sustainability programs. This new strategy seems to be a major change in direction, and it has enormous implications for sustainability and sustainable development work, globally. … Continue reading I asked ChatGPT to analyse the new US National Security Strategy
Alan AtKisson 