Swiss glaciers lost more than 5% of their remaining ice over the past 12 months in 2026, according to new monitoring data, marking one of the largest annual declines on record after intense summer heatwaves.
The Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland network put the loss at 5.5% this year, Deutsche Welle reported, while NPR and the BBC said more than 5% disappeared. Experts said the country’s glaciers have lost nearly one-fifth of their mass in the past five years. The BBC said scientists described the scale of the latest loss as extraordinary.
The reports said continued melting could affect water supplies, including for farming and hydropower. Deutsche Welle reported that experts warned some Alpine ice fields may not survive the next 10 to 15 years. The BBC also said ice loss can destabilize mountain slopes and raise landslide risks in some places.