The melting of glaciers brought on by climate change has caused Switzerland and Italy to redraw a portion of their border in the Alps. This change impacts a region that is close to several well-known ski resorts and the Matterhorn, one of Europe's highest mountains. Glacier ridgelines and areas of perpetual snow define large portions of the Swiss-Italian border. However, due to glacier melting, these natural boundaries have shifted, prompting both countries to seek to redraw the border.

Italy has not yet ratified the agreement on the change, but Switzerland did so on Friday. This comes after a joint Swiss-Italian commission's draft agreement from May 2023. Switzerland's glaciers lost 4% of their volume in 2023, the second-biggest loss ever after the record-breaking 6% melt in 2022, according to statistics released in September of last year.

The Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (Glamos) releases an annual report every year. This year's report blamed the record losses on two factors: the summers that were exceptionally warm in a row and the extremely low snowfall in 2022. The thaw will only quicken if these weather patterns persist, according to researchers.

Switzerland said on Friday that the new borders were established to serve both sides' economic interests. Determining which nation is in charge of maintaining particular natural areas is supposed to be made easier by drawing clearer borders. In the Plateau Rosa region, the Carrel refuge, and Gobba di Rollin—all close to the Matterhorn and well-known ski resorts like Zermatt—the boundaries between Switzerland and Italy will be redrawn.

When the agreement is signed by both nations, the precise border adjustments will take effect and be made public. The approval procedure in Italy, according to Switzerland, is currently underway for signing the agreement. Glamos issued a warning last year, stating that even if global temperatures stay within the 1.5C target rise set by the Paris climate agreement, it is unlikely that some Swiss glaciers can be saved due to their rapid shrinkage.

Experts warn that larger glaciers like the Aletsch, which is not near the border, may vanish in a generation if greenhouse gases associated with global warming are not reduced. Due to their melting and rapid shrinkage, Swiss glaciers have been the subject of several discoveries in recent years.

In July of last year, it was established that the remains discovered near Matterhorn belonged to a German climber who had been absent since 1986. Ascenters traversing the Theodul glacier situated above Zermatt observed a hiking boot and crampons poking out of the frozen surface.

In 2022, the Aletsch glacier revealed the remains of an aircraft that went down in 1968. Additionally, in 2014, a helicopter pilot delivering supplies to a mountain refuge on the Matterhorn noticed something strange and found the body of British climber Jonathan Conville, who had gone missing.