The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

Southern Swiss glaciers could melt away within 10 years

Swiss glacier
Fears are mounting for the survival of Swiss glaciers © Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

Glaciers in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino have retreated sharply for the second year in a row. 

If glacier melting progresses at the same rate, the glaciers on the southern side of the Alps could largely disappear in five to ten years.

+ 2022 disastrous year for Swiss glaciers

The great heat in Ticino in the second half of August as well as the warm September and October led to a strong retreat of glaciers between the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, the Ticino Office for Natural Hazards, Fire and Planning announced on Monday.

If the retreat of glaciers progresses at this rate, it must be expected that only a few isolated ice areas will remain of the Ticino glaciers in the next five to ten years.

More


This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.

External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Daily news

Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox.

Daily

The SBC Privacy Policy provides additional information on how your data is processed.


Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Swiss participate in flotilla against sea blockade in Gaza

More

Swiss citizens will also participate in flotilla against Gaza blockade

This content was published on Swiss citizens are also taking part in the worldwide flotilla that intends to break the sea blockade in Gaza. The Waves of Freedom Association (WOFA) plans to leave with five boats loaded with baby milk powder and water filters.

Read more: Swiss citizens will also participate in flotilla against Gaza blockade
Ticino commemorates Italian partisans with stumbling blocks

More

Switzerland commemorates Italian partisans who died escaping fascists

This content was published on Italian partisans tried to flee to Switzerland in October 1944. However, two died and a third was injured in a hail of bullets between their fascist pursuers and Swiss border guards in Ticino. They are now commemorated by so-called stumble stones.

Read more: Switzerland commemorates Italian partisans who died escaping fascists
After the EU, Berne targets Russian oil with new sanctions

More

Switzerland follows the EU with new sanctions against Russian oil

This content was published on Switzerland is stepping up its sanctions against Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine. The measures are aimed at Russia's oil windfall. The European Union (EU) approved the same package of sanctions, the 18th since the start of the war, in mid-July.

Read more: Switzerland follows the EU with new sanctions against Russian oil
Federal Council promotes secure, voluntary and free e-ID

More

Swiss government makes a case for e-ID ahead of referendum

This content was published on The electronic-ID is secure and easy to use and its use is voluntary and free of charge: these are the arguments the government made in its campaign for a 'Yes' vote on the e-ID Act slated for September 28.

Read more: Swiss government makes a case for e-ID ahead of referendum
Residential property in Switzerland: prices continue to rise rapidly

More

Swiss real estate prices continue to rise rapidly

This content was published on Houses and flats became more expensive again in the first half of the year. In the second quarter of 2025 in particular, momentum increased across Switzerland due to high demand and low interest rates.

Read more: Swiss real estate prices continue to rise rapidly

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR