October 3, 2024 – 8:39 pm
A 100-metre-long section of the Italian-Swiss border had to be redrawn because the terrain conditions in Zermatt in the Alps were rearranged by melting glaciers, the report said. euronews. Until now, the Theodul Glacier, located under the Matterhorn, marked the border between the two countries, but climate change intervened: the glacier lost almost a quarter of its mass between 1973 and 2010, so the border had to be redrawn.
“Large parts of the border are defined by watersheds, ridge lines or the eternal snow line of glaciers,” the Swiss government said in a statement last week. “However, these formations are changing due to the melting of glaciers.” Switzerland officially approved the change on Friday, and Italy has not yet done the same, but since it is only a minor border correction, the agreement will enter into force with Switzerland's approval.
Located in Zermatt, the fifth largest ski resort in Europe, hikers and skiers can freely cross the resort between Switzerland and Italy's Valturnenche Valley. The exact border changes will be implemented and the agreement published once the two countries sign it. Since 2022, it has seemed likely that the boundaries will need to be changed, when the affiliation of the mountain refuge is in doubt due to melting snow.
The glaciers in Switzerland are melting at a rapid rate. In addition to Europe being the fastest warming continent on Earth, Switzerland has lost 10% of its glaciers between 2021 and 2023. The situation is particularly dangerous in the eastern and southern parts of the country, where the Matterhorn is also located.
