Switzerland approves border change, Italy yet to finalize

Switzerland and Italy have redrawn part of their Alpine border due to the melting of glaciers, a result of climate change.

The area impacted includes regions beneath the Matterhorn, one of Europe’s tallest peaks, near popular ski resorts. Many sections of the border were originally based on glacier ridgelines or areas of perpetual snow, but as glaciers retreat, natural boundaries have shifted, prompting the two nations to adjust their borders.

Switzerland formally approved the new border on Friday, though Italy has yet to finalize its decision. This follows a draft agreement reached by a Swiss-Italian commission in May 2023.

According to data released last September, Switzerland’s glaciers lost 4% of their volume in 2023, the second-largest loss on record, following the unprecedented 6% melt in 2022. The Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (Glamos) attributed these losses to consecutive unusually warm summers and low snowfall in the winter of 2022. If such weather patterns persist, researchers warn the rate of glacier melt will only quicken.

Swiss authorities emphasized that the new borders were drawn with both countries' economic interests in mind. Clarifying the border will help delineate responsibility for maintaining natural areas on either side.

The affected areas include Plateau Rosa, the Carrel refuge, and Gobba di Rollin, all near the Matterhorn and popular ski areas such as Zermatt. Once Italy signs the agreement, the border changes will be officially implemented.

Switzerland noted that Italy is in the process of approving the accord. Meanwhile, Glamos warned last year that some glaciers are shrinking so rapidly that even if global temperatures remain within the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C target, it may be too late to save them. Without a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, major glaciers like the Aletsch—which is not on the border—could vanish within a generation.

The melting glaciers have also uncovered several historical artifacts. In July 2023, human remains near the Matterhorn were identified as those of a German climber missing since 1986. In 2022, the wreckage of a 1968 plane crash emerged from the Aletsch glacier. In 2014, the body of missing British climber Jonathan Conville was found by a helicopter pilot near the Matterhorn.

[Information sourced from BBC]