Even the Dead Are at Risk

One of the peculiarities of living in Venice is that people must bury their dead aboveground -- or rather above water. And the challenges to the survival of the city will only grow worse as sea levels rise over the next century. Venice, la Serenissima, is one of 14 sites being photographed by the Canary Project (www.canary-project.org) to portray landscapes threatened by climate change. Photographer Susannah Sayler documents not only disasters (retreating glaciers in the Alps, drought in China) but also solutions (flood barriers in the Netherlands, wind farms in Palm Springs, California). Her work aims to "integrate the tools of art with those of science, education, mass communication, and other disciplines."