World

Swiss glaciers shrink despite heavy snow in 2021

 
Switzerland's glaciers are continuing to shrink as a result of climate change, even if snowfall was heavy this year and the summer comparatively cool, a top scientific panel said. 'The volume of Swiss glaciers decreased by almost one percent in 2021, in spite of plentiful snow in winter and a pretty cool summer,' the Cryospheric Commission of the Swiss Academy of Sciences said in a report. 'In terms of weather, the conditions were right in 2021 to give the glaciers a breather,' the report said.

'Unfortunately, in times of climate change, even a 'good' year is not good enough for the glaciers: The loss of ice continued, albeit at a slower pace, despite abundant snow in the winter and a comparatively cool and mixed summer weather.' The snowfall was heavier than usual in May, the panel said. - AFP