Italy-Switzerland, the two countries will redefine territories due to climate change

Switzerland and Italy will redefine part of their border as climate change melts the glaciers that have historically marked the divide between the two countries.

The Theodul Glacier, under the famous Matterhorn, lost almost a quarter of its mass between 1973 and 2010. This exposed the rock beneath the ice, changing the drainage divide and forcing the two neighbors to redefine a roughly 100-meter-long stretch of their border.

"Significant sections of the border are defined by glacier ridge lines and permanent snow," the Swiss government said in a statement last week. "These formations are changing due to melting glaciers."

Switzerland officially approved the change, while Italy has yet to do the same, but because it is a "minor border correction", only Bern has to approve the "convention". The exact border changes will be implemented and the agreement will be published after both countries have signed it.

The affected area is the Matterhorn ski area, which includes the Zermatt resort and is the fifth largest ski resort in Europe. Mountaineers and skiers can freely pass between Switzerland and Italy's Valtournenche valley.

Both countries agreed to adjust the border around the attractions of Testa Grigia, Plateau Rosa, Rifugio Carrel and Gobba di Rollin. Europe is the fastest warming continent on Earth and high temperatures are causing the continent's glaciers to melt at an alarming rate.

Between 2021 and 2023, Switzerland lost 10 percent of its glaciers, as much as between 1960 and 1990. The summer of 2023 marked the hottest temperatures ever recorded, an extreme increase that has largely resulted from the use of fossil fuels.