Switzerland’s glaciers are changing a lot, which experts find astonishing. In just two years, 10% of the ice has melted because there’s less snow and it’s getting warmer. Data from the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation shows that in 2023, 4% of the glacier’s ice melted. This comes after a big 6% melt in 2022. To give you an idea, the ice lost in these two years is the same as what melted from 1960 to 1990.

Matthias Huss, who watches over the glaciers, is alarmed. Fast melting due to climate change is breaking glaciers, including smaller ones at higher altitudes. Across Switzerland, this loss aligns with a winter of little snow, as a hot summer caused early melting. While extra water may temporarily help, shrinking glaciers mean less water, worsening shortages in heatwaves. Studies warn that even with strong efforts to combat climate change, almost half of the world’s glaciers could vanish by the century’s end.