Switzerland Loses 20% of Its Glacier Ice in Just 5 Years

Swiss glacier researchers report that the Swiss Alps have lost almost 20% of their ice since 2021, including a staggering 5.5% in 2026. This year's ice loss fell just shy of the 2022 record. Intense summer heat waves, following a winter with very little snowfall to replenish glacier ice, fueled the near-record 2026 loss. Mid-latitude glacier regions such as Switzerland are among the most sensitive regions to warming from fossil fuel use. 

Meanwhile, the head of Sweden’s oldest glacier station, in the Tarfala valley, noted that rapidly melting Swedish glaciers and thawing permafrost risk causing collapse events such as those in Rasuwa, Nepal in August and Blatten, Switzerland last year.  Experts called on Swedish policy makers to conduct a risk analysis including potential impacts of collapse on downstream dams and other infrastructure, especially in the Luleå region. 

Scientific Data  - Greenland and Antarctica have lost more than 11 trillion tonnes of ice over the past five decades, contributing more than 3 cm to global sea level rise according to an assessment of changes in both ice sheets. Ice loss from both Greenland and Antarctica has accelerated substantially since the 1990s. Greenland lost more than 6 trillion tonnes of ice between 1972-2023, while Antarctica lost nearly 5 trillion tonnes between 1979-2023. Most of this loss (84%) was caused by changes in ice dynamics, meaning glaciers are flowing faster and discharging more ice into the ocean. The remaining 16% resulted from losses at the ice sheet surface, including increased melting and reduced snowfall. The findings highlight that ice sheet loss is driven not only by surface melting, but also by changes in how quickly ice flows into the ocean – an important consideration for understanding and preparing for future sea-level rise.