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Great Lakes for Sale: Updated Edition
“Lake Michigan may be coming to Idaho.”
That’s what an Idaho radio commentator said in June 2021. Holding approximately 20% of the world’s surface freshwater, the Great Lakes are once again a target for the drought-ridden West, which is facing climate change, massive fires, and shrinking water supplies. And in a potentially far bigger threat, Wall Street is creating markets that could lead to the trading of freshwaters as a commodity like corn or oil. The Great Lakes are in danger of becoming privately exploited on a large scale by those who have priorities other than stewardship.
In Great Lakes for Sale, Dave Dempsey offers surprising, even controversial, ideas on how to prevent the fulfillment of this nightmare scenario. They include an attack on water commercialization, curbing abuse of the Great Lakes Compact, and devising plans for limited sharing of the Great Lakes to forestall humanitarian disasters. If the Great Lakes are to remain great, new thinking and action will be required.
“This is an excellent narrative history of the faltering fight to protect the Great Lakes from the international water bottling industry; the rising failure of the Great Lakes Compact to prevent nonessential water diversions to communities outside the basin; and a provocative consideration of what it means to treat water as a human right.” —Lana Pollack, former U.S. section chair, International Joint Commission
“The Great Lakes sustain us, and Dave Dempsey is our most important voice for their protection. In this important update to Great Lakes for Sale, Dempsey shows us why we need to prevent our public trust from being sold for profit.” —Nancy Langston, author of Climate Ghosts
“A call to action for every Great Lakes resident to recognize the lakes as our most immense gift from nature, something to be cared for as if our lives depend on them—because they do. This is a must-read for every resident of the Great Lakes region.” —Sally Cole-Misch, author of The Best Part of Us, a 2021 Readers' Favorite International Silver Medal in Literary Fiction
Dave Dempsey is a longtime environmental policy analyst and author. He has served more than thirty-five years in environmental policy, including positions with the Michigan Environmental Council, International Joint Commission, and Great Lakes Fishery Commission. He is the author of Ruin and Recovery, a survey of Michigan’s environmental history; On the The Great Lakes in the 21st Century; and Last Summer on Lake Huron. He lives in Traverse City, Michigan.
That’s what an Idaho radio commentator said in June 2021. Holding approximately 20% of the world’s surface freshwater, the Great Lakes are once again a target for the drought-ridden West, which is facing climate change, massive fires, and shrinking water supplies. And in a potentially far bigger threat, Wall Street is creating markets that could lead to the trading of freshwaters as a commodity like corn or oil. The Great Lakes are in danger of becoming privately exploited on a large scale by those who have priorities other than stewardship.
In Great Lakes for Sale, Dave Dempsey offers surprising, even controversial, ideas on how to prevent the fulfillment of this nightmare scenario. They include an attack on water commercialization, curbing abuse of the Great Lakes Compact, and devising plans for limited sharing of the Great Lakes to forestall humanitarian disasters. If the Great Lakes are to remain great, new thinking and action will be required.
“This is an excellent narrative history of the faltering fight to protect the Great Lakes from the international water bottling industry; the rising failure of the Great Lakes Compact to prevent nonessential water diversions to communities outside the basin; and a provocative consideration of what it means to treat water as a human right.” —Lana Pollack, former U.S. section chair, International Joint Commission
“The Great Lakes sustain us, and Dave Dempsey is our most important voice for their protection. In this important update to Great Lakes for Sale, Dempsey shows us why we need to prevent our public trust from being sold for profit.” —Nancy Langston, author of Climate Ghosts
“A call to action for every Great Lakes resident to recognize the lakes as our most immense gift from nature, something to be cared for as if our lives depend on them—because they do. This is a must-read for every resident of the Great Lakes region.” —Sally Cole-Misch, author of The Best Part of Us, a 2021 Readers' Favorite International Silver Medal in Literary Fiction
Dave Dempsey is a longtime environmental policy analyst and author. He has served more than thirty-five years in environmental policy, including positions with the Michigan Environmental Council, International Joint Commission, and Great Lakes Fishery Commission. He is the author of Ruin and Recovery, a survey of Michigan’s environmental history; On the The Great Lakes in the 21st Century; and Last Summer on Lake Huron. He lives in Traverse City, Michigan.
- GenresNonfiction
150 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 22, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 5, 2022
The Great Lakes, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario contain 20% of the world’s fresh water. Because fresh water is something that is in demand world wide, some wish to bottle and sell water from this source in places as far away as Africa and China. Despite the control of the eight states and two Canadian provinces that border the lakes, no consistent policy exists to protect these bodies of water from exploitation by commercial interests.
Nestle, a Swiss company takes water from Lake Michigan and bottles it under the name Ice Mountain. This is not a large operation, certainly not in the same league with companies considering filling tankers with water and exporting it to countries in the world experiencing shortages. Different states have different laws governing water diversions. To whom does water belong? Water is necessary for life. To pump it out of its home watershed and export it for profit seems immoral. As Harvard University Professor Michael Sandal asks, “Do we want a society where everything is up for sale? Or are there certain moral and civic goods that markets do not honor and money cannot buy?”
There is tremendous pressure to exploit this water and it is of utmost importance to develop policies to protect this resource. This book draws attention to the situation and advocates for serious protection before it is too late.
Nestle, a Swiss company takes water from Lake Michigan and bottles it under the name Ice Mountain. This is not a large operation, certainly not in the same league with companies considering filling tankers with water and exporting it to countries in the world experiencing shortages. Different states have different laws governing water diversions. To whom does water belong? Water is necessary for life. To pump it out of its home watershed and export it for profit seems immoral. As Harvard University Professor Michael Sandal asks, “Do we want a society where everything is up for sale? Or are there certain moral and civic goods that markets do not honor and money cannot buy?”
There is tremendous pressure to exploit this water and it is of utmost importance to develop policies to protect this resource. This book draws attention to the situation and advocates for serious protection before it is too late.
November 21, 2023
Every bottle reduces the Great Lakes
If anyone thinks our Great Lakes are safe they need to read “Great Lakes for Sale” by Dave Dempsey. With 20% of the world’s fresh water, the Great Lakes are targets for drainage and so far, just a little. But as stewards of the world wonders we mustn’t kid ourselves that they will always be there.
If anyone thinks our Great Lakes are safe they need to read “Great Lakes for Sale” by Dave Dempsey. With 20% of the world’s fresh water, the Great Lakes are targets for drainage and so far, just a little. But as stewards of the world wonders we mustn’t kid ourselves that they will always be there.
December 20, 2021
Very informative and I must say that I am angry, sad, frustrated and determined. As citizens we all need to be more hands-on when it comes to decisions about our most precious natural resource. Is water a consumer good or it is a human right?
July 14, 2022
An informative book, though it reads as more an activist's take than a balanced consideration of the issues. I would have preferred the latter. Worth your time if you love our great lakes.
August 30, 2023
"Water is Life - not a commodity"..all those living in the Great Lakes states and beyond would benefit from reading.
September 20, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews