Living and adapting to climate change in coastal areas. A case study on citizens' perception of an infrastructure: the MOSE in Venice

Abstract

A continuous increase in water levels is being observed in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as globally. Furthermore, the trend is accelerating, and in some coastal areas the phenomenon is more evident in terms of impact on the life of the inhabitants. Between 2013 and 2021, sea level rose by 4.5 millimeters per year. The Venice lagoon, like other coastal areas, is particularly at risk as the sea level could reach 45 centimeters by 2100. The MOSE, (electromechanical experimental module), is a system of mobile dams aimed at defending the city of Venice and its lagoon. The purpose of this study is to detect the perception that coastal and non-coastal inhabitants have of this infrastructure, through a questionnaire with answers on a Likert scale submitted to subjects living in the Po Valley at different distances from Venice. We therefore want to verify the different sensitivities of the inhabitants in relation to their geographical distance from the infrastructure, returning possible correlations.