Rising Seas: Imagine Losing Venice

Written by Chan Gin Kai.

Soft strains of music wafted across Piazza San Marco. Putting down my camera hesitantly, I turned my eyes away from the baroque architecture to the direction of the music. A quartet had started playing at a café and a crowd was gathering. Drawn by the music, we strolled over. We sat al fresco in the cool evening air; flaming torches provided light and a little warmth. Two flutes of sparkling Prosecco, holding my wife’s hand in mine, surrounded by the beauty of architectural wonder, and immersed in the magical notes of “Nella Fantasia”, tears started welling up in my eyes. The historic city of Venice is indeed one of the most romantic places on earth.

Made up of 117 islands, separated by 177 canals and linked by 409 bridges, Venice is celebrated for its art and architecture. The city has an average of 50,000 tourists a day, which flock to the city to take pictures in her gondolas, masks, cathedrals and museums.

The ‘floating city’ was the most prosperous city in Europe in the late 13th century, and it was at this time that Venice's leading families vied with each other to build the grandest palaces and support the work of the greatest and most talented artists. The early masters included Bellini and Vivarini, followed by Giorgione, Titian and other luminaries. Famous composers included Cavalli and Vivaldi, and adventurers/writers included Marco Polo and Casanova. The beautiful city inspired Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice” and “Othello”, Voltaire’s “Candide” and Casanova’s autobiography. It is no surprise too that Venice is a favorite setting for contemporary popular culture: Anne Rice’s novel “Cry to Heaven”, the movies “Moonraker”, “Casino Royale”, “The Tourist”, and one of my favorite films, “The Talented Mr. Ripley”. Video games such as “Assassin’s Creed II” and “Tomb Raider II” also had settings in Venice.
For centuries, Venice has had to battle with floods. During the 20th century, when many artesian wells were sunk into the periphery of the lagoon to draw water for local industry, Venice began to subside. When it was realized that extraction of water from the aquifer was the cause, artesian wells were banned in the 1960s and the sinking has slowed markedly. However, the city is still threatened by more frequent low-level floods that creep to a height of several centimeters over its quays.

Some recent studies have suggested that the city is no longer sinking. However, serious concerns still remain. The city may not be sinking, but the seas are rising.

Climate change is wreaking havoc on coastal cities. The melting of ice in the Polar Regions and the increase of water volume due to higher temperatures has already caused the rise of sea levels. And levels are expected to rise even quicker in the decades to come. Even as we try to deceive ourselves that it will take decades or even a century for cities to really go under, we have already experienced extreme weather conditions and flooding in recent years. Some think that first world countries will be spared from the worst, but the example of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 proved that flood walls and levees are ineffective against the extreme forces of nature. Venice will not be spared either.