Venice at risk of flooding. This is what the warning says United Nations Organization.
Rising sea levels, flooding and intensifying heat waves threaten one of Italy's most visited cities, says an interim report by the Intergovernmental Panel of Experts on Climate Change (IPCC, in English).
Venice is “on the front line” of the climate crisis, which risks redrawing the maps of the continents, the document states. The report also includes alerts for the cities of Mumbai (India), Miami (USA) and Jakarta (Indonesia).
“Sea levels continue to rise, floods and heat waves are increasingly frequent and intense, and warming increases ocean acidity,” scientists note in the 4-page report on the impacts of climate change.
According to climate experts, we need to “make difficult choices”.
Under the combined effect of expanding oceans and melting ice caused by warming, rising sea levels also threaten to contaminate agricultural soils with salt water and engulf strategic infrastructure such as ports or airports.
A “danger for societies and the global economy in general”, warns the IPCC, remembering that around 10% of the world's population and workers are less than ten meters above sea level.
“For some megalopolises, deltas, small islands and Arctic communities, the consequences can be felt very quickly, within the lifetime of most current populations.”
According to experts, ocean levels could rise by 60 centimeters by the end of the century.
“The fate of many coastal cities is bleak without a dramatic drop in CO2 emissions,” the researchers say, adding that “whatever the rate of these emissions, sea level rise is accelerating and will continue to occur for millennia.”
“Most coastal cities could die. Many of them will be decimated by long-term flooding. By 2050, we will have a clearer picture,” said Ben Strauss, from the organization Climate Central.
But despite these grim predictions, coastal cities continue to grow, multiplying potential victims, especially in Asia and Africa.
The global assessment report on the impacts of warming, created to support political decisions, is much more alarming than its predecessor, released in 2018.
The document is expected to be published in February 2022, after approval by the 195 UN Member States and after the COP26 climate conference, scheduled for November in Glasgow, Scotland.
Originally scheduled for November 2020, the 26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), with leaders from 196 countries, companies and experts, was postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Venice at risk of flooding: expert speaks
Georg Umgiesser, oceanographer at CNR-ISMAIR in Venice, explained the details of the flood risk affecting the lagoon city.
“The sea level in Venice has risen by 32 cm since 1890 for several reasons. One is subsidence – the phenomenon of lowering of the land surface due to changes in the underground support. Venice is slowly sinking. Then the sea level is rising more and more. It is thought that the sea level in Venice could rise by another 50 cm by the end of the century, that is, by 2100.”
Venice at risk of flooding: the situation
As the average sea level has started to rise, flooding is more frequent. From 2 or 3 per year, it went to 20. The hypothetical rise of 50 centimeters in sea level in Venice would mean seeing the St. Mark's Square completely flooded.
Reducing emissions now could help lower risks for coastal cities like Venice (or, for example, Jakarta), according to the United Nations report. According to the UN, however, action must be taken immediately.
Otherwise, water levels are expected to be two feet higher by 60, and in the long term, the outlook for many of these coastal cities would be bleak.
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