Venice is sinking and this time it may go under

From its founding in the Early Middle Ages, Venice has had a fraught relationship with the sea, protected from the mainland by the waters of the lagoon, yet always threatened by changing environmental conditions. Venetians have always recognized that human choices would shape their relationship with the natural world.

The World can make more water from the sea, but at what cost?

Worldwide, desalination is increasingly seen as one possible answer to problems of water quantity and quality that will worsen with global population growth and the extreme heat and prolonged drought linked to climate change. However, desalination remains expensive, as it requires enormous amounts of energy.