A riveting story of environmental disaster and political intrigue,
Moving Water exposes how Florida's clean water is threatened by
dirty power players and the sugar cane industry. Only a century
ago, nearly all of South Florida was under water. The Everglades,
one of the largest wetlands in the world, was a watery arc
extending over 3 million acres. Today, that wetland ecosystem is
half of its former self, supplanted by housing for the region's
exploding population and over 700,000 acres of crops, including the
nation's largest supply of sugar cane. Countless canals, dams, and
pump stations keep the trickle flowing, but rarely address the
cascade of environmental consequences, including dangerous threats
to a crucial drinking water source for a full third of Florida's
residents. In Moving Water, environmental journalist Amy Green
explores the story of unlikely conservation heroes George and Mary
Barley, wealthy real estate developers and champions of the
Everglades, whose complicated legacy spans from fisheries in
Florida Bay to the political worlds of Tallahassee and Washington.
At the center of their surprising saga is the establishment and
evolution of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP),
a $17 billion taxpayer-funded initiative aimed at reclaiming this
vital ecosystem. Green explains that, like the meandering River of
Grass, the progress of CERP rarely runs straight, especially when
it comes up against the fierce efforts of sugar-growing interests,
or "Big Sugar," to obstruct the cleanup of fertilizer runoff
wreaking havoc with restoration. This engrossing expose tackles
some of the most important issues of our time: Is it possible to
save a complex ecosystem such as the Everglades-or, once degraded,
are such ecological wonders gone forever? What kind of
commitments-economic, scientific, and social-will it take to rescue
our vulnerable natural resources? What influences do special
interests wield in our everyday lives, and what does it take to
push real reform through our democracy? A must-read for anyone
fascinated by stories of political intrigue and the work of
environmental crusaders like Erin Brockovich, as well as anyone who
cares about the future of Florida, this book reveals why the
Everglades serve as a model-and a warning-for environmental
restoration efforts worldwide.
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