The Foresta a Venezia Project × EarthDNA
Symposium & Exhibition | May 23, 2025 | Venice, Italy 

Location: Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista, Venice

Time: 10:00 – 18:00 CET

Hosted by The Foresta a Venezia Project, EarthDNA, and ASU MSD Space Architecture & Extreme Environments, this one-day symposium and exhibition invites reflection on the invisible yet vital threads connecting sky, earth, and all living systems.

This event features MIT Media Lab's Future Worlds-Climate Intelligence Earth Mission Control, a mixed-reality experience that transforms satellite data into immersive, actionable narratives. Presented as part of the exhibition, Earth Mission Control brings climate intelligence to life through real-time Earth observation, visual storytelling, and planetary exploration.

Sea Level Rise in Venice

Sea level rise is one of the most urgent consequences of climate change, posing significant risks to coastal cities worldwide. Venice, with its unique cultural heritage and historical significance, is particularly vulnerable. The city’s intricate network of canals, combined with subsidence and rising sea levels, puts it at high risk for flooding. Increased flooding events (acqua alta) have become more frequent and severe, causing extensive damage to infrastructure, cultural landmarks, and daily life. Sea levels in Venice have risen by approximately 26 cm over the past century and are projected to rise by another 20-80 cm by 2100, intensifying Venice's vulnerability. These projections highlight the urgent need for robust adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Earth Mission Control: Venice Sea-level Rise Demo

The EMC sea-level vignette visualizes the projected impact of rising seas on the city of Venice. Within the immersive environment, users can explore interactive dashboards that simulate flooding at different increments of sea-level rise, helping to illustrate how much of the city may be submerged under various warming scenarios. Complementary data such as land subsidence rates and the percentage of the population vulnerable to flooding, providinf essential context to ground the visualizations in lived reality.

Users can also zoom into the 3D map table for a hyperlocal view of Venice, enabling detailed exploration of neighbourhoods, infrastructure, and areas at risk. By combining scientific data with intuitive, place-based storytelling, EMC transforms abstract climate projections into tangible, actionable insights.

A range of stakeholders can use this tool: urban planners can design and test resilient infrastructure; policymakers can allocate resources and draft informed adaptation strategies; and community leaders can better communicate risks and mobilize public engagement around climate resilience.

EMC Research Leads:

Dava Newman, Minoo Rathnasabapathy, Rachel Connolly, Lucas De Bonet, Janka Hamori, Leonie Bensch