Rains lashed the rest of Italy and to the south, the swollen Arno river threatened the cities of Florence and Pisa. But it was in Venice where the damage was greatest, as the high tide damaged over 50 churches, including the historic St. Mark’s Basilica, along with the tourist city’s thousands of shops and homes. Tuesday’s high waters submerged about 80 percent of the city, officials said. Climate scientists said Venice is a harbinger of the problems facing all coastal cities as rising temperatures melt polar ice sheets, causing ocean levels to rise. An Inter-government Panel on Climate Change said that because of rising seas, the extreme flooding that used to hit Venice once every hundred years is expected to recur every six years by 2050, and then every five months by 2100.

Venice - losing battle against climate change?. (2019, November 22). Manila Bulletin, p. 6.