Switzerland and Italy have agreed to redraw part of their national border, as the melting of Alpine glaciers – a product of anthropogenic climate change – changes the historically defined border. Here’s all you need to know.
Large parts of the border between Italy and Switzerland are covered by “slopes of water or ice, heavy or permanent snow”, the Swiss government said. But as global warming causes ice to melt at an unprecedented rate, these ridge lines are moving, disrupting the established boundary.
The border between the two countries is redefined below the famous Matterhorn, one of Europe’s highest peaks that has long fascinated hikers and mountaineers. Switzerland and Italy have accepted changes along the Plateau Rosa, Carrel refuge, and Gobba di Rollin landmarks. This is where the Zermatt region of Switzerland meets the Aosta valley of Italy. The region is home to several ski resorts that stimulate the economies of both countries.
In 2023, Italy and Switzerland had created a commission to study the effects of climate on the ice and its effects on the border. This commission is the one that recommended the new boundaries to be redrawn in May last year. On Friday (September 27), Switzerland signed an agreement on the new border. Italy has not yet given its official approval, although this is expected to happen soon.
Melting record in Europe
Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world, and climate risks are affecting its energy and food security, ecosystems, infrastructure, water resources, economic stability and public health. According to the European Environment Agency, extreme heat, drought, wildfires and floods will worsen in Europe even under the optimistic scenario of global warming, affecting living conditions across the continent.
The border adjustment between Italy and Switzerland has drawn renewed attention to the effects of climate change on glaciers around the world.
“There have been several record melting events in the past decades and years. The glaciers have lost an incredible amount of ice in the 21st century alone and many large ice tongues are collapsing, and small glaciers are disappearing,” Dr. Matthias Huss, Director of glacier monitoring organization, Glamos, and Lecturer at the Department of Civil, Environmental Engineering and Geomatics, Zürich, told Indian Express.
In 2024, Switzerland’s glaciers recorded “melting at an alarming rate”, with the largest loss of ice since measurements began to take place in August, according to a paper released by the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observations of the Swiss Academy of Sciences on October 1.
Huss added that other countries, around the world, may also reconsider their original symbols soon. “The problem concerns all mountain ranges around the world. The environment in the peak areas is changing, which has an impact on the appearance of the mountains, their symbolic importance and natural hazards, such as floods and avalanches,” Huss said.
The Himalayan Crisis
Closer to home, the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region is also experiencing melting glaciers due to global warming. This poses serious threats to water security, livelihoods, and ecosystems.
According to the HI-WISE report, ice loss increased by nearly 65% in the 2010s compared to the previous decade. “Projections show that even if global warming is limited to 1.5 degrees, the HKH could lose up to 36% of its ice extent by 2100, and with an increase of 2 degrees, this could increase to 50%. This acceleration not only increases the risk of glacial lake floods (GLOFs) but also threaten important water flows, which will have a greater impact in the upper reaches of the river basins and in the more water-dependent river basins, such as the Indus and the Amu. Darya,” Dr. Arun Bhakta Shrestha, Senior Climate Change Specialist and Strategic Group Leader for Climate and Environmental Risk Reduction at ICIMOD, told. Indian Express.
ICIMOD operates in HKH, where ridges connecting mountain peaks are commonly used as international boundaries. “It is not yet clear how much of these elevations are covered by permanent ice or snow. It is recommended that the landscape survey authorities in HKH countries assess the current situation, and that governments initiate discussions on how to deal with possible boundary changes, should the situation similar to those of the Alps will occur in the HKH area,” Shrestha said.
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