Zurich (Switzerland), Oct. 1 (LaPresse) – This year, Swiss glaciers lost 5.5% of their ice volume due to heat waves and low winter snowfall, recording the second-largest annual loss ever recorded after 2022. This was reported by the Swiss glacier monitoring service Glamos and the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, which warn that “under such conditions, Alpine glaciers have no chance of surviving in the long term.” The report highlights concerns about the impact of global warming on Europe, the continent that is warming the fastest. The record retreat of glaciers in Switzerland – home to the largest number of glaciers in the Alps – occurred in 2022. The trend has worsened in recent years: in just the past five years, the volume of ice in Switzerland has decreased by almost one-fifth, experts say. This accelerated melting is having repercussions on Switzerland and the continent’s major rivers.
Climate: in 2026 Swiss glaciers lost 5.5% of their volume, 20% in 5 years
Zurich (Switzerland), Oct. 1 (LaPresse) – This year, Swiss glaciers lost 5.5% of their ice volume due to heat waves and low winter snowfall, recording the second-largest annual loss ever recorded after 2022. This was reported by the Swiss glacier monitoring service Glamos and the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, which warn that “under such conditions, Alpine glaciers have no chance of surviving in the long term.” The report highlights concerns about the impact of global warming on Europe, the continent that is warming the fastest. The record retreat of glaciers in Switzerland – home to the largest number of glaciers in the Alps – occurred in 2022. The trend has worsened in recent years: in just the past five years, the volume of ice in Switzerland has decreased by almost one-fifth, experts say. This accelerated melting is having repercussions on Switzerland and the continent’s major rivers.