Far up in the snowy Alps, it is not only the ski season that is affected by climate change.
In fact, Swiss and Italian authorities have had to redraw part of their 359-mile border.
The problem is due to melting glaciers, which are changing where the highest part of the border is – traditionally where the border was drawn.
The relevant part of the border runs beneath the Matterhorn, one of the highest mountains in Europe, known for its rough pyramid shape.
Here temperatures are rising by about 0.3°C per decade – about twice as fast as the global average.
There are glaciers along the border: accumulations of ice and snow that slowly flow over high, jagged land peaks. The border runs along a drainage divide – the point at which meltwater on either side of the mountain will flow into one country or the other. But due to melting glaciers in Europe, the location of this exhausting gorge has shifted
The relevant part of the border runs under the Matterhorn, one of the highest mountains in Europe (photo)
“Important parts of the border are defined by the catchments or ridges of glaciers, firn or eternal snow,” the Swiss government said in a statement.
‘These formations are changing due to the melting of glaciers.’
The border between Switzerland and Italy is about 578 km long, of which about 40 km is covered by glaciers.
According to reports, the section being redrawn is 100 meters long and is located beneath the Matterhorn, the beautiful pyramid-shaped peak and one of the highest mountains in Europe.
Along this part of the border are glaciers – accumulations of ice and snow that slowly flow over high, jagged land peaks.
The border runs along a drainage divide – the point at which meltwater on either side of the mountain will flow into one country or the other.
But as glaciers melt in Europe due to higher temperatures, the location of this exhausting gap has shifted – so the official border must shift too.
Officials said the adjustment was made along the Plateau Rosa, the Carrel refuge and the Gobba di Rollin, which are close to the Matterhorn.
Diplomatic negotiations ended with an agreement to move this part of the border, but for now many of the specific details remain secret
The border between Switzerland and Italy is about 578 km long, of which about 40 km is covered by glaciers
Several popular ski resorts in Switzerland and Italy are close to the area – which could impact mountain huts and other refuges.
For example, there are concerns that more glacier runoff will flow into the companies, which could have safety implications.
The two countries have been aware of the issue for years, but it was only in 2023 that a joint Italian-Swiss commission agreed to the realignment.
Switzerland officially approved the change on Friday, although Italy has yet to do the same.
While it is unclear how far the border will move, and whether it will move towards Switzerland or Italy, more details will emerge once both countries sign the agreement.
Switzerland’s glaciers lost 2.4 percent of their volume last year, with sand from the Sahara speeding up summer melting. In the photo: Gletsch in the Swiss Alps, September 30, 2024
This is not the first time that the Italian-Swiss border has been changed.
In 2000, the border was also rewritten in Furggsattel, Zermatt, after a glacier shifted somewhere between 100 and 150 meters. Sky News reports.
The change meant that a chairlift station that had once been in Italy was now in Switzerland.
According to the European Union’s Copernicus Service, glaciers in the Alps have lost 10 percent of their remaining volume in the past two years.
Glaciers will lose half their ice by 2050 even if the planet warms less than 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels, according to a recent study published in European Geosciences Union.