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Sarasota News Leader March 29, 2013 Page 10 Vellinga then took the stage, discussing the wide variety of ways in which cities and countries around the globe have tried to deal with rising oceans. One example of an aggressive approach comes from Vellinga's home country, The Netherlands. There, the government has launched an aggressive program that includes beach nourishment, the construction of broad "super dikes" and even, in one area, new key islands built up with sediment. They've taken a different approach in Venice, Italy, a city that regularly rings out with sirens signaling the arrival of aqua alta (high water). Because Venice is located in a lagoon, the residents are in the process of building a series of expensive panels sunk into the bottom of the channels that connect the city to the Adriatic. Invisible most of the time, they will rise as flexible gates when the water level gets too high, keeping the lagoon level manageable. Vellinga, who shared in a Nobel Peace Prize with Pollack because of their work with the IPCC, has consulted with the city in its approach. We're not close to a robust solution like those here in Sarasota. That's something event M.C. Julie Morris, assistant vice president for academic affairs at New College, hopes will change. Many different local groups are examining the issue and reaching out to city and county governments, she says, but the problem is so big it demands a broader approach. She wants the conversation begun by Vellinga and Pollack to continue, and to grow louder, and she thinks New College can play a major role by bringing in experts and hosting events. The Rhône Glacier/Photo by Celesta via Wikimedia Commons ing that as bad as things look, "the problems of today are the employment opportunities of the future." He pointed out that Europe's No. 1 economy (Germany) is also its biggest user of renewable energy, and he suggested that following The Netherlands' model wouldn't cost affected Floridians much more than they're already paying for flood insurance. But does Sarasota, or Florida, or the United States, have the political will to address uncomfortable political realities and find solutions? Vellinga's final slide asked, "Sarasota after a 3 ft rise in sea level, will it still be 'the Vellinga half-jokingly addressed the New Col- place to be'?" The inevitable answer: "Delege students in the audience Wednesday, say- pends." %