UNESCO Says Venice Could Be Endangered Due To Rising Sea Levels

The UNESCO is eyeing to add the City of Venice in the list of world heritage sites that are considered to be in danger.

According to a report on the BBC, Venice, which is a famous tourist destination in Italy, is at risk of "irreversible" damage because of many factors such as the overwhelming tourism, overdevelopment and the rising sea levels due to climate change.

The UNESCO's cultural agency is calling for the better preservation of the City of Venice.

Failure to protect Venice?

Officials from UNESCO have urged the Italian government to guarantee its utmost dedication in addressing the long-standing problems in Venice, according to a report on CNN.

It noted that the city has been grappling for years with problems because of too many tourists who have been flocking the place as well as the adverse effects of climate change.

The draft resolution of UNESCO pointed out that there has not been any significant level of progress when it comes to addressing the persistent and complex issues in Venice, including the mass tourism, development projects and climate change.

For UNESCO, the Italian authorities lack the strategic vision of solving the problems faced by one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy.

It claimed that these officials have failed to protect the historic city as well as its surrounding lagoon.

Furthermore, it indicated that these issues have brought deterioration and damage to building structures and urban areas as it also degrades the cultural and social identity of the area.

The UNESCO further observed that the issues hounding the tourist destination has threatened the integrity of its cultural, environmental and landscape attributes and values.

The huge number of tourists flocking Venice has been an issue for a long period of time.

The UNESCO said that there have also been efforts to address problems that comes with the over tourism, including banning the large ships from entering the San Marco Basin - Giudecca Canal.

Moreover, weather problems also hound Venice City as it also experienced city drought, making it impossible for gondolas, water taxis and ambulances to pass through some canals.

Warming planet, rising sea levels

Experts see that the warming planet has also contributed in what is happening in Venice. This warming planet had brought damaging impact as they could result in rising sea levels.

Due to the fact that Venice is known to be surrounded by water, the area has been very vulnerable to flooding.

Meanwhile, authorities said around 28 million tourists visit Venice on a yearly basis, which means this could result in more urban expansion projects. UNESCO then said these infrastructure and expansion projects would bring damage in the city.

The UNESCO said the high-rise buildings could have a negative visual impact on Venice, noting that these infrastructures should be built far from the city.

Meanwhile, an Evening Standard report said that a spokesperson for the Venice municipality said that the city would carefully read the recommendation of the Center for UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.

Venice officials also said they would discussed measures with the national government.

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