VENICE had two pieces of good news this week. Measurements of water flow in the seas surrounding the city suggest that dams being built to keep flood waters at bay will not have the serious environmental consequences many feared. And a second study has concluded that some aspects of global warming will work to limit the flood risk.
Last December, the Italian government gave the go-ahead to a controversial plan to build dams across the three channels linking Venice’s lagoon with the Adriatic Sea. Most of the time the 79 gates in the dams will be open, allowing water to…
