Holy Shit - look at Venice

[malaise]

Wake up world - climate change is real

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/13/waves-in-st-marks-square-as-venice-flooded-highest-tide-in-50-years

Two people have died as the highest water levels for more than 50 years caused hundreds of millions of euros of possibly irreparable damage in Venice, officials have said, with another surge expected to cause further flooding.

Flood levels in the lagoon city reached the second-highest level since records began in 1923 as a result of the acqua alta, which hit 1.87 metres (74in) late on Tuesday night amid heavy rain, just short of the record 1.94 metres measured in 1966.

An elderly local man from Pellestrina, one of the many islands in the Venetian lagoon, died when he was struck by lightning while using an electric water pump, the fire brigade said. The body of another man was found in his home.

More than 85% of Venice was flooded, authorities said, including the historic St Mark’s basilica. While the water level dropped slightly on Wednesday morning, a further torrent of water, whipped up by high winds, is forecast to sweep in later in the day, reaching a level of 1.60 metres.

The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, said he would declare a state of emergency, adding that the flood levels represented a wound that would leave indelible marks. “We ask the government to help us. This is the result of climate change,” he said, putting the damage in the hundreds of millions of euros.

Venice sits on thousands of wooden piles driven into the mud, but rising sea levels and heavy cruise ship traffic have steadily eaten away at the surrounding marshes and mudbanks, causing the city to gradually sink.

St Mark’s Square was submerged by more than one metre of water, while the adjacent basilica was flooded for only the sixth time in 1,200 years – but the fourth in the last two decades. The last occasion, in November 2018, caused an estimated €2.2m (£1.9m) of damage.

[UncleTomsEvilBrother]

1. I think...

...we probably need to get used to this kinda headline regarding Venice. We're doing nothing about climate change.

[bdamomma]

2. That is why Jane Fonda

is out there every Friday in Washington. We can't leave this dilemma to our young people.

[malaise]

4. She's a class act

from way back - love her

[Liberal In Texas]

3. I'm afraid someday tourists will be looking at Venice with glass-bottomed boats.

We just keep pouring more and more carbon dioxide into the air. The repubs think burning fossil fuels is wonderful because someone is making big money from it.

[MoonRiver]

5. We were there about 20 years ago (I lose count), and this is horrifying.

I do remember there were great worries that Venice would be overcome someday with flooding and sink. What a beautiful and historic place.

[Celerity]

6. ...

[pamdb]

7. Venice

We were in Venice in the beginning of October and even then there was minimal flooding in St.Marks Square. You could take your shoes off and wade or kind of walk on the backs of your tennis shoes around the edges, but yeah, there was a couple of inches. It was gone in the morning and showed up later in the day and there was NO RAIN all the time we were there.