Venice Faces Worst Flooding in Two Decades – Climate Change Blamed

When the Earth fights back, it ain’t pretty. What could be worse than too much snow on Mt. Everest? How about too much water in Venice?

Venice is suffering from its worst flooding in 22 years. In the Renaissance city water stood more than 1.5 meter deep. Authorities worried that the sea lapping at the lagoon city would rise to 1.60 meters, a 30-year high mark. Residents and tourists were told to stay indoors. Nearly all the streets of Venice, including the central tourist district, were under water including the famous Piazza San Marco.

The situation was complicated by a national strike of the city’s “vaporetto” water bus service.

Experts say the high sea levels were caused by persistently high southerly winds and heavy rain and snowfall in northern Italy. Venice has been wrestling with the threat of rising sea levels. Presently, raising the buildings is the only option. The United Nations cultural organization UNESCO has already warned that Venice, one of its designated World Heritage sites, is threatened by climate change.

Maybe, it’s too late for Venice? Let’s hope not!

Images and video, courtesy of Daisuke Ido & Ethan Hein

Share

If you're new here and you like our articles, how about subscribing free for our updates via RSS feed.