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🗞️ Driving the news: Melting glaciers along the Swiss-Italian border have forced both countries to redraw parts of their national boundary, particularly near the iconic Matterhorn mountain, due to the natural shifting caused by glacial retreat
🔭 The context: Large sections of the Swiss-Italian border are defined by glaciers, but as climate change accelerates glacial melt, these natural borders are changing
• Switzerland’s glaciers lost 4% of their volume in 2023, following a record 6% loss in 2022
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Glacial melt not only alters landscapes but threatens freshwater supplies, increases the risk of landslides, and highlights the broader, visible impacts of global warming on natural systems
⏭️ What's next: Both nations are finalizing the approval process for the new border, while glaciologists warn that glacier retreat will continue, even under ambitious climate action scenarios
💬 One quote: "Some glaciers are literally falling apart, small glaciers are disappearing." — Matthias Huss, Glaciologist, ETH Zürich
📈 One stat: Switzerland’s glaciers lost 4% of their volume in 2023
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