Preserving glaciers at over 3,000 metres through climate protection

An area as large as the Canton of Uri has been cleared of ice since 1850, and over 1,000 small glaciers have disappeared since then. Global warming is accelerating glacial shrinkage. The volume of glaciers has reduced by almost 40 percent since the year 2000, with a total of 10 percent being lost in the years 2022 and 2023 alone. Researchers have now studied these two record years for the first time in scenarios relating to the future of glaciers in the Alps. The as yet unpublished data indicates that there is even less room for manoeuvre than previously assumed when it comes to preserving Swiss glaciers.

The impact of glacial shrinkage is significant

There are still 1,400 glaciers in Switzerland with a total volume of approximately 46.5 cubic kilometres. This is almost equivalent to the volume of water in Lake Constance. The effects of the continued decline of glaciers will be manifold, with water shortages increasing in hot and dry summers, and this will impact large areas of Europe through major rivers such as the Rhine, Rhone, Po and Danube. The landscape will alter markedly, and tourist regions in the Alps will need to adapt what they offer to visitors. In addition, there will be an increasing danger of natural hazards such as landslides or flooding.

Only the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to net zero can ensure the preservation of glaciers in the long term. This applies to the Alps, but also on a global level. Three-quarters of the global mountain glacier volume could be preserved through enhanced climate protection, and melting of the ice sheets in Greenland and the Antarctic could be curbed. One effect would be a significant decrease in the impact of a rising sea level with its dramatic consequences.

Changes in glaciers have been documented in Switzerland through detailed measurements for almost 150 years. Series of measurements recorded over such a long period are unique on an international level and extremely valuable when it comes to research. Today’s leading researchers in GLAMOS, the glacier monitoring network in Switzerland, the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation (SCC), the Swiss Snow, Ice and Permafrost Society (SIP) and ProClim, the Forum for Climate and Global Change, have synthesised their knowledge in the "Swiss Glaciers" fact sheet.