Alpine glaciers face an accelerating retreat
The Swiss glaciers have entered a period of rapid and sustained retreat as climate warming continues to bite. A new assessment by Glamos, the Swiss Glaciological Monitoring Network, shows that glaciers in Switzerland lost about a quarter of their total volume between 2015 and 2025 – roughly 24%. This marks one of the strongest declines recorded since systematic measurements began, highlighting how quickly ice is vanishing from the Alps. The study also notes a concerning pattern of melt that appears to be intensifying, with fewer winters of sufficient snowfall to replenish the ice cap.
What the latest Glamos findings reveal
In 2025, Glamos observed a “considerable” amount of glacier melt, approaching the near-record pace seen in 2022. The measured volume loss for the year was around 3% across about twenty glaciers. When extrapolated to Switzerland’s estimated 1,400 glaciers, this hints at a broader, more alarming trend rather than an isolated event. The 2015–2025 period thus cements its place as the fourth strongest retreat since measurements began, behind the peaks of 2022 and 2023 and the year 2003.
Matthias Huss, director of Glamos, emphasizes that “for around 20 years, all Swiss glaciers have been losing ice, and the pace is accelerating.” The retreat is not only an abstract statistic: it reshapes the landscape and the resources communities rely on. As the Rhône Glacier, one of the country’s iconic ice fields, has shown in recent years, thinning ice can translate into dramatic changes in a relatively short period.
A real-world example: the Rhône Glacier
Standing near the Rhône Glacier, observers can feel the magnitude of change. Huss notes that in the last two decades, the glacier’s thickness has thinned by about 100 meters or more in places – a dramatic transformation that underscores the ongoing and cumulative losses across the Alps. Tourists and scientists alike witness the glacier’s evolution, which illustrates the tricky balance between natural beauty, tourism, and the changing hydrological reality of the region.
Implications for water, energy, and safety
Swiss glaciers play a crucial role in hydroelectric power generation and drinking water supply. The study quantifies that the Swiss glaciers’ volume has declined from approximately 75.1 km3 around 2000 to an estimated 45.1 km3 by end-2025, a loss of about 30 km3. The surface area has also shrunk by roughly 30% over the same period, to about 755 km2. Such reductions compress the fresh-water reservoirs that communities depend on during dry summers and heatwaves and can influence flow regimes in rivers that power cities and industry alike.
Beyond resource concerns, rapid melt destabilizes mountain terrains, increasing the risk of rockfalls and ice avalanches. Huss points to incidents like the destruction of the village of Blatten in May, linked to destabilization processes—an ominous reminder that glacial retreat has tangible safety implications for Alpine communities and travelers.
Context: a warming world and a regional pattern
Switzerland is particularly affected by climate change, with warming in the country running about twice the global average. While other Alpine nations show similar trends, Switzerland’s high peaks and dense glaciation make the region a bellwether for glacier response. Since the 1970s, Glamos records show more than 1,100 Swiss glaciers disappearing, underscoring a long-standing pattern of loss that’s unlikely to reverse absent rapid, sustained emissions reductions.
In the broader European context, glaciers outside Switzerland are also shrinking, foreshadowing a future when summer snow lines recede higher and meltwater resources become more scarce. France, among others, projects a future with few or no glaciers by 2100 under current trajectories, underscoring a continental-scale challenge linked to climate policy and energy planning.
Outlook and what this means for policy and daily life
With 2025 serving as a stark reminder of the immediacy of glacier loss, Swiss authorities and researchers are calling for stronger climate action and adaptive planning. If global CO2 emissions stay at current levels, the Alps’ glaciers – which hold more than half of the Alpine glacier volume remaining – could shrink even further by the end of the century, reshaping regional water management, tourism, and hazard preparedness. The Glamos findings serve as both a scientific record and a warning: the clock is ticking for the high mountains of Switzerland and the ecosystems and economies that depend on them.
What to watch next
Scientists will continue to monitor glacier response, refine models of melt and snowfall, and assess the resilience of water infrastructure. Policymakers face a dual imperative: mitigate climate change and adapt to a future with less glacier insurance in the Alps, ensuring resilience for the populations that rely on glacial meltwater, especially during hotter summers.
