Famous cities around the world have been plagued in recent years by an inflow of tourists, which has harmed the local environment. Venice, the city on the water, has been one of the hottest destinations for cruise vacationists, and Venetians complain that the tourism industry has accelerated pollution.

The U.N. art heritage agency has said it would examine a proposal to put Venice on its endangered list if the lagoon city does not issue a permanent ban on cruise ships docking there, according to the Italian news agency Ansa.

UNESCO said on Words to Learn 相关词汇Monday it will discuss the issue at its plenary session on July 16-31. If approved, the agency could demand urgent action by the Italian Government by next February.

UNESCO warned that Venice’s survival will be even more in peril if the lagoon city doesn’t issue a permanent ban on cruise ships.

Early in June, Venetians were caught by surprise when a cruise liner sailed into the lagoon city for the first time since the pandemic began, despite an announcement from the Italian Government that the ships would be banned from the historic center. The plan was for the ships to be diverted to the industrial port of Marghera while plans were made for the construction of a cruise terminal outside the lagoon.

The decree was approved by the lower house of the Italian parliament in April, but major infrastructure work will be needed to make it possible to redirect cruise ships to Marghera port.

In the meantime, the only way for the ships to enter Venice is via the Giudecca canal, where in June 2019 a 13-deck vessel operated by MSC crashed into a wharf and tourist boat, injuring five people.

“A long-term solution is urgently needed,’’ said UNESCO. “A solution that will prevent total access to the lagoon, redirecting them to more suitable ports in the area.’’

“Putting Venice on the U.N. endangered list would be a serious problem for our country, and there is no more time to waste. An important step has already been taken with the latest decree but we must do more and immediately prevent the passage of large ships in the Giudecca canal,” said the Italian culture minister Dario Franceschini.

Famous figures in the arts, including Mick Jagger and Tilda Swinton, recently signed a letter urging Rome to take urgent action to safeguard the lagoon city.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【潟湖】 xìhú lagoon a stretch of salt water separated from the sea by a low sandbank or coral reef

【严重危险】yánzhòng wēixiǎn peril serious and immediate danger

世界各地的旅游名城近些年都面临游客过多，造成当地环境被破坏等问题。“水城”威尼斯此前一直吸引大批乘坐游轮抵达的游客到访，但是当地人抱怨称旅游业加重了威尼斯的污染。

据意大利安莎通讯社报道，联合国教科文组织称其正在审查一项提案，如果威尼斯不永久禁止游轮停靠，就会将这座环礁湖城列入濒危名录。

联合国教科文组织周一称，将在7月16日至31日的全体大会上讨论这一问题。如果提案通过，教科文组织将要求意大利政府在明年2月前采取紧急措施。

联合国教科文组织警告称，如果威尼斯不永久禁止游轮停靠，威尼斯将会陷入更大的生存危机。

6月初，一艘远洋游轮驶入威尼斯，让当地人大吃一惊。这是疫情暴发以来首次有游轮停靠，而意大利政府此前已宣布禁止船舶进入这座历史中心城市。意大利政府计划让游轮在工业港口马尔盖拉停靠，并计划在环礁湖外建造一个游轮码头。

意大利众议院已经于4月份通过了这项禁令，但是游轮要改在马尔盖拉港停靠还需要修建大型基础设施。

这样一来，船舶进入威尼斯的唯一通道就是经由朱代卡运河。2019年6月，地中海航运公司的一艘13层游轮撞上了码头和一只游船，导致5人受伤。

联合国教科文组织称：“现在急需一个长期的解决方案，一个能够完全避免游轮进入环礁湖并将其停靠到更合适的港口的方案。”

意大利文化部长傅朗霁称：“将威尼斯列入联合国濒危名录对意大利而言将是个严重的问题，而且时间已经很紧迫了。我们在新法令中已经迈出了重大的一步，但我们必须采取更多措施，而且应该立刻阻止大型船舶驶入朱代卡运河。”

米克•贾格尔和蒂尔达•斯文顿等知名艺人近日签署了一封联名信，敦促意大利政府采取紧急措施保卫这座环礁湖城。

(chinadaily.com.cn)