Glaciers over 3,000m can be preserved via better climate protection

There are still 1,400 glaciers in Switzerland. Keystone-SDA

Stronger global climate protection could preserve more than a quarter of the ice in the Swiss Alps, says the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences (SCNAT). Glaciers above 3,000 metres could survive in the long term, it believes.

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On Friday, SCNAT published a fact sheet to mark the first World Glacier Day which presents the current state of knowledge about the melting of glaciers in the Alps, its consequences and the possible courses of action.

Since 1850, an area of ice the size of canton Uri in central Switzerland has been lost, and more than 1,000 small glaciers have disappeared completely. The volume of glaciers has shrunk by almost 40% since 2000, and by a total of 10% for the years 2022 and 2023 alone.

For the first time, research is taking these two record years into account in scenarios for the future of glaciers in the Alps. The as yet unpublished data shows that there is less room for manoeuvre than previously thought.

1,400 glaciers left

There are still 1,400 glaciers in Switzerland, with a total volume of around 46.5 cubic kilometres. That’s almost as much water as Lake Constance.

The continuing retreat of the glaciers will have multiple consequences, according to SCNAT, who held a press event at the Jungfraujoch mountain on Friday.

For example, the lack of water will increase during hot, dry summers, with repercussions for large parts of Europe via the major rivers such as the Rhine, Rhône, Po and Danube.

The landscape will change significantly and the tourist regions of the Alps will have to adapt their offer. What’s more, natural hazards such as landslides and flooding will become increasingly frequent.

Net zero

Only a net-zero reduction in greenhouse gas emissions can guarantee the long-term preservation of glaciers, says SCNAT. This applies not only to the Alps, but also to the rest of the world.

Three-quarters of the world’s mountain glaciers could be preserved if the climate were seriously protected, and the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice caps could also be halted. As a result, sea-level rise and its dramatic consequences would be decisively reduced.

In Switzerland, the evolution of glaciers has been documented for almost 150 years by detailed measurements. This series of measurements over such a long period is unique and extremely valuable for research around the world.

SWI swissinfo.ch

Translated from French with DeepL/sb

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