1 . Venice is suffering the worst flooding the city has experienced in 50 years. The city is “on its knees” and Venetian Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted as water submerged (淹没) much of the famous historical city.

While floods are a normal part of life in Venice, they have never happened with such frequency before. Experts say that climate change is likely to blame.     1     The Venetian council voted against a measure to fight climate change just a few moments before their chamber (会议厅) flooded.

Flooding is just one of the many impacts from climate change that is being experienced with more frequency and globally threatens many vulnerable (脆弱的) areas and regions. There is a threat that is not often considered.     2     Natural and man-made heritage sites throughout the world are in danger of being damaged or destroyed by climate change.

    3     Some will be hit by flooding, like Venice, others by extreme weather events or rising temperatures. For instance, George Town, the capital of the Malaysian state Penang faces rising sea levels, landslides and more severe typhoons, while Yellowstone ecosystem in the western United States faces melting snows, more frequent wildfires and a changing ecosystem.

Changes in the ocean will have a profound impact on many of these sites.     4     And rising sea levels threaten to wash away many of the world’s great archaeological sites.

Experts say that the solutions to saving these sites will be varied, but many will be very expensive.     5