'Catastrophic': Swiss glaciers lose fifth of mass in five years
Swiss glaciers have lost nearly 20% of their mass over the last five years, with 2026 marking a particularly catastrophic year for ice melt. Experts warn that many glaciers are reaching a point of no return due to accelerated climate change.
Why it matters
The rapid disappearance of glaciers serves as a critical indicator of global climate change and threatens long-term water resources in Europe.
Matthias Huss with a four-metre-long measuring stake indicating the amount of ice that melted over the past year on the Scex Rouge glacier (Fabrice COFFRINI) Switzerland's glaciers, which are disproportionately impacted by climate change, have lost nearly 20 percent of their mass in five years, experts said Thursday, with 2026 registering the second-biggest melt on record.
Swiss glaciers saw 5.5 percent of their volume melt away this year, the Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS) network found in a new study, published after a record hot summer preceded by a winter with little snowfall.
"The glaciers this year have lost enormous quantities of ice," said GLAMOS chief Matthias Huss, describing 2026 as "a catastrophic year".
Perched on the Scex Rouge glacier, at an altitude of nearly 3,000 metres, he gazed across the landscape in despair.
"This is a glacier that isn't surviving," he said.
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