20% of Swiss Glaciers Lost In Five Years

Swiss glaciers have lost 20% of their ice volume over the past five years, according to a recent report. From 2021 to the first eight months of 2026, the glaciers have shed 5.5% of their ice, totaling 19.4% since 2021. Researchers attribute the rapid retreat to meltwater carving out vast cavities within the glaciers, causing them to collapse from within rather than simply receding due to surface heat.

Matthias Huss, a glaciologist at ETH Zurich and lead author of the study, emphasized that many people underestimate the speed at which glaciers are disappearing. He recalled visiting a glacier last week and being struck by the stark contrast between its former state as a massive ice sheet and its current barren condition, with just remnants of ice scattered across the landscape.

The report, a joint effort between the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network and the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation, revealed that the average thickness of individual glaciers decreased by 2.5 to 4 meters in 2026. Huss noted that scientists are increasingly observing glaciers collapsing from the inside out, primarily due to internal streams beneath the ice that create cavernous spaces.

The MeteoSwiss analysis revealed that the summer half-year of 2026 was the hottest and driest on record since observations began in 1864. In that period, global carbon dioxide emissions reached 1.8 trillion tons, contributing to a global temperature increase of approximately 1.4 degrees Celsius.