European Heatwaves Shatter Records, Swiss Glaciers Vanish Amid Climate Crisis

Europe experienced its third hottest summer on record, with western regions enduring extreme heat stress that felt hotter than 38°C. Surface air temperatures in these areas were 2.5°C above the decadal average, according to the EU's Copernicus climate monitoring service. This scorching summer follows a period of significant ice loss in Switzerland, where glaciers have shrunk by nearly a fifth in the last five years. Scientists report that 5.5% of Swiss glacier ice melted in the first eight months of 2026 alone, a rate comparable to the record set in 2022, bringing the total loss since 2021 to 19.4%.