Could Switzerland’s glaciers disappear? | DW News

Current El Niño will likely rise global temperature (in 2027) to 1,7-1,8C range (Hansen). And after that it is likely that the temperature rise will remain above 1,5C limit permanently.<br><br>After that there is 11-17 years until we get to 2,0C limit. And there are more and more scientists with arguments, that 2,6-2,7C range is already in the pipeline.<br><br>We can still avoid more heating. But some great damages has been done already. Going back under 2C by 2100 seems quite impossible in the real world.

All melting water is not just running down to mountain to the rivers. At current global warming, more and more is evaporated to the very air nearby. 7% per 1C warming, so at around 10% currently. And this rate is rapidly rising. Specially in rapidly warming regions, like Europe.<br><br>Also peak melting water is already reached in the Alpine region, so for now on, there will be less melting water in the rivers.

And when the glacier begins to melt, more than it gains snow in the winter, it is getting at lower altitudes that are warmer. This accelerates the warming. Also the top of the melting ice has all soot and other impurities that makes it darker and therefore it gains more energy from the sunlight. Also global warming is accelerating too. @0,36C per decade (according to Hansen).<br><br>These effects along with other ones, like surface melt waters that are darker and brings more energy to all ice layers, are melting the glaciers at ever rising speeds.<br><br>Until the mountain glacier crumbles to the valley. Or just disappears via melting water and evaporation.<br><br>20% in recent 5 years... This could mean that Alpine glacier could be gone within next 10-20 years.<br><br>No more melting waters that cooled the central Europe and gave its water to the mighty rivers that run there. Rivers like Rein, Po, Danube and many others are getting smaller and smaller and may vanish all together in coming decades. Droughts will come worse. And farming, nuclear plants and industries along the river will suffer. And all these while more water is needed to cool down cities that are under constant and still worsening heatwaves and wildfires...<br><br>Migration from Spain and France can begin soon due to too hot and arid climate conditions. And similar effect could continue to central Europe too, when rivers run dry.

I find our complacency in the face of global warming and climate change simply astounding.<br>All of this is happening and would continue to happen even if we stayed within the &quot;safe&quot; 1.5 °C limit which we will not.<br>Just imagine what we can expect as temperatures keep getting warmer.<br>There is no new normal.