In 2023 Swiss glaciers lost 5.5 % of their ice volume – the second‑largest percentage drop ever recorded. From July to September the melt released about 2.2 trillion litres of water, which is four times the whole country’s annual water consumption.

The decline is not a one‑off event. In the last five years the total ice in Switzerland has shrunk by almost one‑fifth, and the biggest retreat on record happened in 2022 when summer heat, very little winter snow and a puff of reddish Saharan dust all combined.

Glaciers act as Europe’s water tower, feeding rivers such as the Danube, Po, Rhine and Rhone and providing more than half of Switzerland’s hydro‑electric power. Their rapid loss therefore threatens water supplies far beyond the Alpine region.

According to Matthias Huss, who heads the GLAMOS glacier‑monitoring service, the current warming can be attributed 100 % to anthropogenic climate change. He explains that heat waves raise summer temperatures, while low winter snowfall removes the protective blanket that slows melt and limits new ice formation.

The dust from the Sahara also plays a role: it settles on the glacier surface, darkening it and causing it to absorb more sunlight. Together with human‑driven warming, these factors create the perfect storm for accelerated glacier melt.