Swiss glaciers suffer 'disastrous' year of ice loss, threatening water supplies
Summary
Swiss glaciers lost over 5% of their ice in 2026 due to very hot summer heatwaves. This rapid melting threatens future water supplies and increases risks like landslides and flooding.Key Facts
- Swiss glaciers lost about 5.5% of their ice in one year, much higher than the usual 2%.
- The intense heatwaves in May and June caused snow to melt early, exposing dark glacier ice that absorbs more heat.
- Meltwater from glaciers helped with water shortages this summer but reduces the ice that stores water for the future.
- Losing glacier ice can lead to unstable mountain slopes, raising the risk of landslides and floods like those seen in Nepal.
- Even high-altitude glaciers (around 3,500 meters) had no snow left by the end of the summer.
- Snow is needed to rebuild glaciers each year, but this summer’s heat stopped that from happening.
- The River Rhine experienced record low water levels, hurting shipping and raising transport costs.
- Scientists link the glacier melt mainly to climate change driven by fossil fuel emissions.
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