The lagoon covers 212 square miles
Along with the city of Venice in the center, there are some 50 smaller islands
This delicate and fragile ecosystem is the largest wetland in the Mediterranean
If Venice is to be saved, the lagoon must be protected
rising seas threaten the Venice lagoon
windows of buildings near sea level have been closed and filled with cement
No Venetian lives on the ground floor any more
In the last century, the city sank 11 inches
Flooding is more frequent as climate change brings higher tides
A century ago it happened seven times a year, now it's more like a hundred
is the biggest public works project in Italian history
78 giant mobile floodgates that can be raised against high water
the mobile gates are designed to last at least a century and to protect Venice from a difference in water level between the sea and lagoon of up to six and half feet
The latest prediction of the United Nations
is for a one- or two-foot increase by the end of this century.
clipped from: www.npr.org 
