Emily Chan
Experts at UNESCO have recommended that Venice, Italy, be added to its list of world heritage sites that are in danger.
Due to rising water levels and the swarms of tourists that visit every season, the city is on the verge of being swallowed up by the sea.
Every fall, UNESCO holds a meeting to discuss which sites should be officially added to the list. The agency believes that the solutions Venice proposed were not enough to protect the city from mass tourism and the effects of climate change.
The population of Venice is around 50,000. But during peak tourist season, the city can see up to 110,000 visitors daily.
In 2021, UNESCO nearly added Venice to its list, but after the city banned large cruise ships from sailing through its city center, the agency decided against it.
A motion was also submitted to charge tourists who visited the city on day trips with a fee in an effort to control visitor numbers. However, the proposal has faced a lot of delays and pushback from opposing parties.
Extreme weather resulting from climate change has also become more frequent in recent years. In 2019, Venice was hit by a storm that produced record floods, causing the city to become even more susceptible to flooding.
Flooding in Venice is nothing new—documented evidence of flooding dates back to at least the eighth century.
But now, rising sea levels threaten to completely overwhelm the sinking city. Since 1900, sea levels have risen nearly a foot.
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