"Time may be running out for Venice. The frequency of flooding is increasing and Venice is little better protected today than it was in November 1966, when a violent storm surge left the city under nearly 2 metres of floodwater. The environmental future is bleak, with continuing land subsidence, acceleration in the rate of sea level rise and possible changes in storminess in prospect. Surrounding the city is a lagoon ecosystem showing signs of severe environmental degradation. This timely scientific and technical work synthesises the great volume and diversity of recent interdisciplinary research on Venice and its lagoon.

The lessons reported here are relevant not only to Venice but also to all those who live and work under the threat of coastal flooding, including the inhabitants of other great cultural centres such as London and St. Petersburg."--Jacket.