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CLIMATE CRISIS

EXPLAINED: How melting glaciers are shifting Switzerland’s borders

Extremely warm temperatures are melting Switzerland’s glaciers, leading to some surprising geopolitical challenges.

The melting of Switzerland's glaciers has been accelerating in recent years. Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
The melting of Switzerland's glaciers has been accelerating in recent years. Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

Receding glaciers, which are now shrinking at a faster rate than before, are re-defining borders between Switzerland and Italy.

The border between Italy and Switzerland runs for 800.2 kilometres, much of which is mountainous. 

Parts of it run along glaciers which have formed part of the landscape for generations, but are now melting. 

For instance, melting snow and ice on and around the famed Matterhorn, which straddles both countries, is literally moving the borders.

How are the borders changing?

Alain Wicht, who is in charge of national border layouts at the Federal Office of Topography (Swisstopo), said it remains to be seen what the long-term implications are of the changes. 

Around two-thirds of Switzerland’s 7,000lm-long border is made up of natural borders, such as lakes, glaciers, rivers and mountains.

At present, Switzerland has not seen a net loss or a net gain of territory. 

“In some places, Switzerland has gained territory and in others it has lost it.”

However, in the future, it appears Switzerland is set to grow. 

Unlike administratively drawn borders, these can move when the land in question moves, i.e. in in the instance of landslides, a river shrinking or changing course – and the melting of glaciers. 

Pursuant to international law, when artificial borders are redrawn, a country cannot gain or lose territory – i.e. they must receive some additional territory to compensate for a loss. 

This is not the case with natural borders, which can see a country gain territory when the natural feature representing the border moves. 

According to Swiss tabloid Blick, melting glaciers will see Switzerland gain more land

“Overall, however, Switzerland should benefit from climate change, at least in terms of territory gains.”

“Glaciers are mainly found on the northern slopes. If they melt, the watershed line moves south. The surface of Switzerland will therefore increase.

What do the shifts mean for Switzerland?

This drift has logistical and practical implications, according to Wicht.

READ MORE: Why Switzerland’s glaciers are melting faster than usual this summer

For instance, “when an accident occurs, the question arises as to which country is responsible. And when train lines or roads cross the Alps, it should be clear whether they should stick to Italian or Swiss regulations for their construction and maintenance”.

The shift also affects the Testa-Grigia hut above Zermatt, according to a report in Blick on Sunday. 

The glacier surrounding the refuge has melted heavily in recent years.

Switzerland and Italy must agree on the location of the border to determine which country administers the hut.

There are also VAT implications depending on which country the hut is deemed to be in. 

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CLIMATE CRISIS

Swiss upper house spurns European court climate ruling

Switzerland's upper house of parliament on Wednesday voted to spurn a landmark ruling by Europe's top rights court faulting the country for not doing enough to combat climate change.

Swiss upper house spurns European court climate ruling

The Council of States voted 31-11 to adopt a statement criticising the European Court of Human Rights ruling, which made Switzerland the first country ever to be condemned by an international tribunal for not going far enough in tackling the issue.

Switzerland’s lower house will decide on a similar motion next week, which could leave the government in a tricky position if parliament as a whole rejects the ECHR verdict.

In April, the ECHR found that the Swiss state had violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the “right to respect for private and family life”.

The case was brought by the Swiss association Elders for Climate Protection, a group of 2,500 women aged 73 on average.

The organisation wants climate protection to be recognised as a human right and says the Swiss authorities’ failure to mitigate the effects of climate change is having a negative impact on their lives and health.

‘Defend Swiss interests’ call 

The motion passed Wednesday “notes with concern” the ruling, saying the court had exceeded the limits of interpreting the law, thereby exposing “itself to the criticism of exercising inappropriate and unacceptable judicial activism”.

It called on the court to “respect the democratic processes” of member states.

The motion invited the Swiss government to engage with the Council of Europe “to defend the interests of Switzerland”.

It urged Bern to explain that Swiss voters had in a referendum last year approved a law setting a target to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and that the country “has so far respected its international climate commitments”, the text said.

“Switzerland therefore sees no reason to take further action on the court’s judgement,” it said. The Elders for Climate Protection said the declaration “changes nothing”.

“States must all contribute to limiting the global rise in temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Our country is far from being on the right track,” the group’s co-president Anne Mahrer said in a statement.

“Parliamentarians are seeking to divert attention from their own failure to put in place effective measures to protect us from global warming’s alarming impacts on health and life,” she said, urging them to “respect the law and the ECHR”.

The parliamentary motion passed just days before a referendum on Sunday brought by groups opposed to the climate bill approved last year.

Some environmental groups, with the backing of the hard-right Swiss People’s Party, pushed for the vote, warning that the ambition to rapidly scale up wind and solar power production could threaten Switzerland’s pristine Alpine landscapes.

However, in a recent opinion poll, 73 percent of voters said they backed the law.

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