Swiss glaciers lose greater than 5% in ice quantity in 2026

Glaciers in Switzerland have misplaced practically 20% of their mass in 5 years, consultants stated Thursday.

The consultants stated Swiss glaciers are melting quickly and this 12 months noticed the second-biggest drop on report as a result of unprecedented heat waves in Europe.

There was a drop of 5.5% of Swiss glaciers this 12 months, the Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS) community present in a brand new examine.

GLAMOS warns of complete glacier loss

According to the report, over the previous 5 years, the Swiss glaciers have misplaced virtually ​a fifth of their ice, warning that sooner or later it may threaten water supplies.

The report additionally raised questions in regards to the long-term survival of Europe’s ice fields.

“Alpine glaciers haven’t any probability of surviving in the long run underneath such situations,” stated GLAMOS chief Matthias Huss. “The glaciers this 12 months have misplaced huge portions of ice.” 

Little winter snowfall and report summer season temperatures led Huss to name 2026 “a catastrophic 12 months.”

“This is a glacier that is not surviving,” he stated. “There will most likely be no ice in 10 or possibly 15 years.”

The GLAMOS report reiterates considerations in regards to the affect of world warming, particularly in Europe, the globe’s fastest-warming continent.

“The warming that we’re experiencing now will be attributed 100% to anthropogenic climate change. It’s so simple as that,” Huss stated, utilizing the time period for local weather change brought on by human exercise. “Without human emissions or fossil fuels we would not have any warming in the intervening time.”

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Edited by:  Sean Sinico