Saving Venice from flooding may destroy the ecosystem that sustains it
A system of moveable walls, called Moses, protects Venice from colossal high tides that are worsening with climate change. But they’re also destroying the marshes that keep the lagoon alive.
VENICE, ITALY — The cataclysmic flood of November 12, 2019, washed unremarkably into Venice, Italy’s Piazza San Marco around 6 a.m. Two hours later, the rising waters began to tail off at about three feet above normal sea level, leaving 90 percent of the city untouched. Venetians breathed a collective sigh of relief. It was just another mildly unpleasant acqua alta, high tide, in the lagoon.
The calm lasted until 4 p.m., just before night fell. Sirens began to sound... [READ HERE THE FULL ARTICLE by Frank Viviano]