Switzerland Does Not Depend on Its Glaciers for Water

Switzerland’s glaciers are retreating rapidly, and the country will no longer be able to rely on the water they release each summer after snow melts in July and August, writes Bettina Schaefli, a hydrology professor at the University of Bern.

That loss raises a recurring question: without glaciers, could Switzerland lose its water? Schaefli’s answer is no. Glaciers provide a valuable seasonal reserve, but they do not represent the country’s primary source of “blue gold.”

The greater resource, she argues, comes from the abundant precipitation generated by the Alps. The retreat of the glaciers therefore reduces an important summer contribution without eliminating Switzerland’s broader water supply.

The article appears in the opinion section of Le Temps. The publication notes that its columns and opinion pieces reflect the views of their authors and do not represent the newspaper’s position.