Never since measurements began 132 years ago have the glaciers receded as quickly as in 2022, wrote the Austrian Alpine Association on Friday, which hits “red alert” in its annual report.
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“On average, the 89 observed Austrian glaciers lost 28.7 meters last year,” or “2.6 times more” than in 2021, warned the association, whose findings are included in Databases International.
“The retreat continues at breakneck speed” and “the current value represents a clear record”, the Schlatenkees glacier in Tyrol “in decline” with a retreat of 89.5 meters compared to 54.5 in the previous year.
“This clearly shows the consequences of massive man-made climate change,” which “will lead to the disappearance of glaciers in Austria by 2075 at the latest,” complained measurement service manager Gerhard Lieb.
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The Alpine Club then spoke out “vehemently” against the further expansion of ski areas on three glaciers” in the tourist region of Tyrol and “for the expansion of areas” without human intervention.
The same decline is observed throughout the Alpine mountain system, home to 4,000 of the world’s 215,000 glaciers. This phenomenon contributes to sea level rise, unstable rocky terrain, and worsening drought conditions.
According to a paper published in January in the prestigious journal Science, half of the world’s glaciers are doomed to disappear by the end of the century due to climate change.
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