Swiss glaciers suffered near-record ice loss in 2026 due to summer heatwaves, with new data showing the country's remaining glacier volume shrinking by over 5% in the past 12 months, a rate scientists called "extraordinary." Dr. Matthias Huss, director of Glacier Monitoring Switzerland, described it as "simply catastrophic." Scientists warned that such rapid melting is no longer surprising given the pace of climate change, but it could threaten water supplies for agriculture, hydropower, and transportation in the coming decades.