The Ottawa Citizen reports that, “Great Lakes water is being overused and abused, according to a new report that urges the federal government to make the lakes a legally-protected bio-region. In its World Water Day report, the Council of Canadians says the Great Lakes are in crisis. ‘The Great Lakes crisis is part of the global crisis, in which we are quickly running out of fresh water,’ said Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow, author of the report. ‘It’s not a closed hydrological cycle like we were taught— we are losing clean water through irrigation, bottled water, virtual water trade and more.’”
“The Council of Canadians calls for $3.375 billion in new funding over five years, to clean up polluted lakes and rivers and to clean-up the Great Lakes. ‘Scientists say that the Great Lakes could be bone dry in 80 years,’ said Barlow, citing the case of the Aral Sea, the fourth largest lake in the world, that is now 10 per cent of its former size.”
“The federal government’s long-term goal should be a treaty between Canada and the United States that declares the Great Lakes a public trust.”
“The Council of Canadians full report is at www.canadians.org/water.”
The Ottawa Citizen article is at http://www.ottawacitizen.com/draining+Great+Lakes+Council+Canadians+warns/4484088/story.html.
