Swiss scientists are working to save the Great Aletsch Glacier in the Bernese Alps, which is experiencing rapid ice loss due to global warming. While a significant reduction in ice mass is inevitable, efforts are focused on preserving parts of the glacier if global warming is limited to below two degrees Celsius.

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• The Great Aletsch Glacier is the largest in the Alps, spanning 20 km and weighing 10 billion tons.
• Over a million people visit the glacier annually, viewing it from the Jungfraujoch viewing platform at 3,454 meters above sea level.
• Swiss scientists warn that almost all glaciers are likely to disappear if climate change continues unchecked.
• The Aletsch Glacier’s three tributaries could vanish without climate mitigation, leaving a grey valley behind.
• If global warming is capped at two degrees Celsius, the glacier may survive, though it will shrink significantly.
• Scientists hope glaciers above 3,000 meters in elevation can be preserved in the long term.
• The volume of glaciers in Switzerland has decreased by nearly 40% since 2000, with temperatures rising at twice the global average.
• The research coincides with the first World Day for Glaciers, highlighting the urgency of protecting these ice masses.
• The exact outcome for the Aletsch Glacier remains uncertain, but a middle-ground scenario is seen as most probable.
• Global efforts to reduce emissions are critical to minimizing the loss of these glaciers and mitigating sea-level rise.