'Explosion of melt rates': 20% of Swiss glaciers lost in five years

Switzerland has lost nearly one-fifth of its glacier ice since 2021, with an observed 5.5% reduction in ice volume during the first eight months of 2026 alone, bringing total loss since 2021 to 19.4%. Monitoring shows mean glacier thickness declined by roughly 2.5-4 metres in 2026, and scientists report the disappearance or near-death of numerous small glaciers: one well-studied outlet, the Griess (Plattalvafirn), has lost about 99% of its area in two decades. The 2026 melt was slightly short of the 2022 record largely because of reduced Saharan dust deposition and marginally greater winter snow, but overall losses have transformed formerly ice-covered valleys into bare rock landscapes.

The rapid breakdown is driven by intense warming from fossil-fuel emissions and environmental degradation that have amplified warming in Alpine regions to about twice the global average. MeteoSwiss records show April-September 2026 as the hottest and driest such period since 1864, in a world already warmed roughly 1.4°C by about 1.8 trillion tonnes of CO2 emissions. Researchers emphasize that melt now proceeds not only from surface heating but from internal processes - meltwater carving caverns and undermining ice roofs - causing glaciers to disintegrate from within and accelerating retreat with major consequences for water supply, hazards and mountain ecosystems.