‘Explosion of melt rates’: 20% of Swiss glaciers lost in five years
Summary
Switzerland has lost nearly 20% of its glacier ice in the last five years due to rising temperatures and less snowfall. Scientists report that many glaciers have shrunk or disappeared, with some areas now looking like bare rock instead of ice.Key Facts
- Swiss glaciers shrank by 5.5% in just the first eight months of 2026.
- Since 2021, the total glacier ice loss in Switzerland is about 19.4%.
- Glaciers are thinning by 2.5 to 4 meters on average in 2026.
- Some glaciers collapse from the inside because of underground water streams that form holes.
- The summer of 2026 was the hottest and driest in Switzerland since 1864.
- Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average due to pollution and environmental damage.
- Dust from the Sahara desert can speed up melting by darkening snow, but this year there was less dust.
- One glacier, Plattalvafirn, lost 99% of its area in 20 years.
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