The climate crisis is here, and it’s making itself heard in no uncertain terms. A clear example is the glaciers and ice in the Swiss Alps, which have already begun to melt, as announced today (04.07.2025) by the agency responsible for monitoring them, marking the earliest arrival yet of the so-called ‘Glacier Loss Day’.
Any additional melting from now until October will result in a reduction of the size of Switzerland’s glaciers, according to the glacier monitoring service GLAMOS. The country typically reaches this critical threshold in August, and the earlier arrival is another blow to the nation’s 1,400 glaciers, which are shrinking at an alarming rate.
“The Glacier Loss Day has arrived in Switzerland,” wrote Matthias Huss, head of GLAMOS, explaining that snowfall was weak and June was the second hottest ever recorded.
“From now on, every loss of glacial mass until October is irreversible,” Huss declared, clarifying that the only time this ‘Glacier Loss Day’ came earlier was in the record year of 2022, when it arrived on June 26. “We must expect significant ice losses due to the extended melting season,” he added.
The glaciers of the Swiss Alps began retreating around 170 years ago. Initially, the retreat was minor, but over the past few decades, their melting has significantly accelerated.