Switzerland and Italy have altered part of their shared Alpine border due to shifting glacier ridgelines caused by climate change. The adjustment affects the area around the Matterhorn, one of Europe’s tallest mountains, and several popular ski resorts.
The Swiss-Italian border is largely defined by glacier ridgelines and zones of perpetual snow, but melting glaciers have shifted these natural boundaries, prompting both countries to review and amend the border. While Switzerland officially approved the new boundary on Friday, Italy has yet to finalize the agreement. This decision follows a draft agreement made by a joint Swiss-Italian commission in May 2023.
Recent statistics show that Switzerland’s glaciers lost 4% of their volume in 2023, following a record melt of 6% in 2022. The Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (Glamos) attributes these significant losses to consecutive warm summers and exceptionally low snowfall during the 2022 winter. Glaciologists warn that these trends are likely to accelerate if the weather patterns persist.
On Friday, Switzerland stated that the newly defined borders were aligned with the economic interests of both nations and would clarify responsibilities for maintaining specific natural areas. The border changes will affect regions like Plateau Rosa, the Carrel refuge, and Gobba di Rollin, all near the Matterhorn and the well-known ski resort of Zermatt.
Switzerland says that Italy’s approval process for the agreement is in progress. Once signed by both countries, the updated borders will be officially implemented and published.
Last year, Glamos warned that the rapid melting of some Swiss glaciers makes it unlikely they can be saved, even if global temperatures are kept within the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target. Larger glaciers like the Aletsch, which is not on the border, could disappear within a generation without a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
The shrinking glaciers have also led to several discoveries. In July 2022, human remains near the Matterhorn were identified as those of a German climber missing since 1986. Similarly, the wreckage of a plane that crashed in 1968 emerged from the Aletsch glacier, and in 2014, the body of missing British climber Jonathan Conville was discovered on the Matterhorn by a helicopter pilot delivering supplies.
