Switzerland and Italy have decided to move the boundaries of their Alps. Here’s why

Switzerland and Italy have

When the glaciers that define the border melted, parts of the border between Switzerland and Italy have to be redrawn.

This is just one more example of how drastically human activity is changing the world through the burning of fossil fuels.

The two countries have agreed to modify the border below the famous Matterhorn Peak, one of the highest peaks in the Alps, which overlooks Zermatt, a major ski resort.

Although national boundaries are often considered fixed, much of the Switzerland and Italy have border is defined by glaciers and snowfields. The Swiss government said in a statement on Friday that.

With the melting of glaciers, these natural features change and redefine national borders.’

The border adjustment was agreed in 2023, and on Friday the Swiss government formally accepted the move.

Wnder Italy, the approval process is now underway.

The effects of rapid global warming in Europe are mainly visible on its glaciers.

Glaciers are melting at a staggering rate in Switzerland. Glaciers in the country lost 4% of their volume last year, which is second only to losing 6% by 2022.

He told CNN that ‘despite significant snowfall in winter that is expected to lighten the load, glaciers continue to lose ice at a high rate in 2024.’ ‘Small glaciers are melting, and some glaciers are almost falling apart.’

Up to half of the world’s glaciers may be lost by 2100, even with the most aggressive climate action plans. This has a range of effects.

It makes landscapes more unstable, prone to severe landslides and collapses. A glacier in the Italian Alps collapsed in 2022, killing eleven people.

Grim discoveries are being made as the glacier recedes. The body of a mountaineer who vanished while climbing near the Matterhorn 37 years earlier was found last year.

Glaciers lose their essential ability to contribute freshwater as they recede, which can exacerbate water shortages during heatwaves.

According to Huss, redrawing the country’s borders ‘is one simple side effect’ of melting glaciers.

However, the profound changes caused by global warming will become much clearer when people can understand how it ‘directly affects our world map,’ he continued.