One of the many, many effects of climate change is what they do to glaciers, which is to say: causing them to melt. This has ramifications when it comes to sea levels rising and flooding in general, but the effects of glaciers changing shape goes way beyond that. Let’s say that two countries share a border where glaciers exist. Now let’s say that those glaciers have changed shape due to the effects of climate change. What happens to that border?
For Italy and Switzerland, this is not a rhetorical question. As The Guardian‘s Angela Giuffrida reports, the border the two nations share, with a view of the Matterhorn, is being redrawn as a result of changes to the terrain.
To understand why Italy and Switzerland have had to take this step, it’s worth mentioning how the borders were drawn in the first place. The Guardian cites the example of a border that could correspond with the ridgeline found at the top of a glacier. If part of its surface has melted, the location of the ridgeline can also shift — which can necessitate moving the official border to be consistent.
A commission featuring representatives from the two nations agreed on a revised border last year. Since then, Switzerland’s government assented to the changes; Italy has not yet done so.
Downhill Skiing Architecture Launch Delayed by Matterhorn Weather
A portable, solar-powered ski house will debut in 2024These changes could affect ski enthusiasts. As BNN Bloomberg’s Bastian Benrath-Wright reports, the Zermatt resort — considered one of the world’s top ski destinations — will see its borders change as a result of the agreement. Here, at least, the borders will be changed “on the basis of [the countries’] economic interests,” as Benrath-Wright phrased it. Turns out the logistics of shifting terrain can be more complicated than anyone expected.
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