Swiss glaciers lose nearly a fifth of ice in five years
Swiss glaciers have lost nearly a fifth of their ice in five years, with this year the second worst on record after a hot summer and little winter snow.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Swiss glaciers have lost nearly a fifth of their ice in just five years. Scientists say this year was the second worst on record for glacier melting, after a hot summer and a winter with very little snow.
Images shown with the findings tracked the disappearance of the Platt-El-Fagg glacier between 2004 and 2026. Dr Simon Cook, a glaciologist at Dundee University, said the recent rate of loss is a serious concern. In Switzerland, a year with about two percent glacier mass loss would be considered fairly normal. But losses in the last five years have reached around five and a half percent this year and six percent in 2022.
Cook said glaciers are important for sustaining river flows, tourism and skiing. They also help stabilise landscapes. A warming climate makes those landscapes more unstable, as seen recently in Nepal. He said glaciers need to remain longer to keep supplying water, stabilising land and providing landscapes for people to visit.
The report warned that glacier disappearance will be much quicker in a warmer climate. It did not cover policy responses or debate over the causes of the melting.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Swiss glaciers have lost substantial ice in recent years, with the most recent year the second worst on record for melting. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The BBC report focused on the scale and record pace of Swiss glacier loss. It used an expert interview with Dr Simon Cook to compare recent annual losses with a normal year and to set out risks to river flows, tourism, skiing and landscape stability. It did not include policy debate, political reaction or dissenting voices.
- “Swiss glaciers have lost nearly a fifth of their ice in just five years.”
- “Scientists say this year was the second worst on record for glacier melting after a hot summer and a winter with very little snow.”
- “Glaciers are really important in sustaining river flows.”
Broadcast Timeline
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