June floods in #Venice, but these follow the first closing of two inlets with mobile dams
Venice is experiencing rare June flooding after heavy rain and strong winds, which are unusual in the Veneto region at this time of year. On the evening of 4 June 2020, the water level reached 116 cm on the city tide gauge and people waded around a flooded St. Mark’s Square as can be seen … Continue reading
Venice’s floods are not signs of a ‘climate apocalypse’. My article on the problems faced by #Venice and the nearby area published by @spikedonline.
While Venice and the surrounding area have suffered badly from flooding over the last two weeks, there has not been apocalyptic devastation. Moreover, although climate change has been a cause of rising sea levels and contributed to the flooding, subsidence has been a major cause too. As I set out in the article published on … Continue reading
Doomsday in #Venice|If we built it today. My comments and others in TV programme on Discovery Science, SKY Vision. After the recent high floods, a timely reflection on different responses.
This programme examines how Venice was built, its unique environment, problems with flooding and sinking and some possible responses. In addition to the MOSE mobile dam project, there are discussions about replicating, moving and pumping Venice up or a combination of these measures. It was broadcast on the Discovery Science channel in the USA … Continue reading
Should we build in flood-prone areas? Contribution to debate in Prospect Magazine
Following heavy flooding in the UK, Prospect Magazine published an article on 8 January 2016 with five different contributors debating whether construction in flood-prone areas should go ahead. Although Venice is a very unique environment, I ask if Venetians could innovate to cope with flooding, why can’t people in other flood-prone places be defended? This … Continue reading
Disagreements over whether sea level rises would make Venice’s mobile dams unworkable
On 10 December 2012, the Venice branch of conservationist organization Italia Nostra issued a press release arguing that rising sea levels will make Venice’s mobile dams unworkable: Mose_Pirazzoli_comunicato1 This claim was based on statements made by Paolo Antonio Pirazzoli during a conference presentation on 28 September 2012. Pirazzoli suggested that the design of the dams … Continue reading
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